No matter how well a plant is designed and operated, there is the potential for
accidents to happen. Accidents can be as minor as small spills or releases
to major incidents that require evacuation, personal injury or death.

Plans must be in place for all possible situations and personnel should be
trained so they now how to react to minimize the impact of an accident.
The following are accidents, both minor and major that have involved sulphuric
acid plants or sulphuric acid.

Categories:

Transportation -
River, Ocean, Road, Rail, Marine

Spill

Exposure

Environmental -
Release

Fire

Explosion

Type

Date

Location

Details

Transportation
Rail
Spill
Fire

August 2, 2017

Hyndman, PA

Rail cars carrying gas and sulfur on a CSX Corp freight train
skidded off the tracks and burst into flames on Wednesday in a small
Pennsylvania town, forcing hundreds of residents to flee their homes as
firefighters fought the blaze. No injuries were reported after the
crash in Hyndman, about 100 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. CSX warned
customers service disruptions would last for a week over a nearly
80-mile stretch between Connellsville, Pennsylvania, and Cumberland,
Maryland. CSX said 32 cars derailed as the train moved through the
town just before 5 a.m. There was no word on what caused the crash.
A freight car skidded into a garage that caught fire, and at least two
train cars were still ablaze almost 12 hours later, said Bedford County
emergency dispatcher Mike Steele. CSX said one rail car containing
liquefied petroleum gas and one car containing molten sulfur leaked and
were on fire. Authorities ordered the evacuation of residents in a
one-mile radius, which encompasses most of the town, as emergency crews
worried about the risk of an explosion, Steele said. Among the
residents driving out of town was 53-year-old Shannon Shoemaker, who
said his whole family lives within 100 yards of the derailment site.
"They all got out safely, thank God for that," Shoemaker said.
This was the third derailment for a CSX train since last November. It
came two days after CSX Corp CEO Hunter Harrison apologized to customers
for service disruptions and said some railroad employees were resisting
planned cost-cutting measures. The train of five locomotives and
178 rail cars was traveling from Chicago to Selkirk, New York, CSX said.
It said 128 cars carried mixed freight, including construction
materials, paper and wood pulp. John Risch, spokesman for the
transportation division of the SMART Union, which represents CSX
conductors, said it is incredibly difficult for a small crew to handle a
train with 178 cars. "It's hard to keep track of where the train
is, especially as it snakes behind you for more than two miles," Risch
said by phone. "I am not suggesting the length of the train caused the
accident but it could have been a contributing factor." On Monday,
Harrison, the CSX chief executive officer, told customers in a memo that
some employees were resisting aggressive cost-cutting measures at the
No. 3 U.S. railroad. Authorities closed roads and issued temporary
restrictions on low-flying aircraft, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf's
office said, adding that Wolf was on scene in Hyndman. No public water
supplies or waterways were affected, his office said. The
governor's office said about 1,000 people had to leave their homes. An
emergency shelter was assembled at a local school, staffed by aid
workers from the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army, authorities
said. CSX said company hazardous substance experts were working
with firefighters at the scene to contain leaks and minimize
environmental damage.

Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board and the
Federal Railroad Administration were in Hyndman, the agencies said.
In March, a CSX freight train containing sulfuric acid and other
dangerous materials partially derailed near Newburgh, New York, though
the dangerous substances did not leak. Last November, two CSX trains
collided and derailed in central Florida, injuring two crew members.
The probes into those incidents were still under way, said Federal
Railroad Administration spokesman Warren Flatau. After the New
York incident, the Times Herald-Record newspaper cited officials and
witnesses as saying the train derailed after striking a forklift being
driven across the tracks.

Fire

June 26, 2017

IIsfahan Refinery
ran

Huge fire engulfed a sulfur warehouse at Esfahan refinery in central
Iran this morning leaving at least 100 workers injured.The fire erupted
at 11:00 local time and the gas produced from burning sulfur poisoned
workers, ILNA news agency reported.According to the report, ambulances
have been sent to the scene following the incident to transport victims
to nearby hospitals.So far no report has been released on the death
toll.

A fire broke out on Monday at a sulphur storage tank in Iran's Isfahan
oil refinery, injuring around 10 workers, the refining company's
spokesman was quoted as saying by state television."Due to the high
temperature, some sulphur caught fire, but it was soon extinguished...
Around ten workers were suffering from respiratory problems caused by
smoke and were treated at the scene," Mohammad Sadeq Hajian, spokesman
for the Isfahan Oil Refining Company said.Hajian denied earlier reports
by some Iranian media outlets that around 100 workers at the refinery in
central Iran had been injured.An official at the refinery's fire
department told Reuters that the incident was small and did not affect
the plant's production

Transportation
Spill

June 21, 2017

Hendersonville,
Tennessee

A tanker carrying 3,100 gallons of sulfuric acid overturned near the
intersection of Rockland Road and Freehill Road in Hendersonville at 7
p.m. Tuesday night. According to Hendersonville Fire Chief Scotty Bush,
around 500 gallons of sulfuric acid leaked onto the ground into a
ditch. "Nothing got into the water system whatsoever," Bush said. "There
were no injuries." The Hendersonville Fire Department worked
alongside Nashville Fire Department's HAZMAT Response team for over 11
hours to clear the area.

The tanker was on its way for delivery at the White House Utility
District. According to Bush, firefighters off-loaded the 2,500 gallons
of sulfuric acid that did not leak from the tanker before moving the
vehicle.

"Sulfuric acid is flammable and water-resistant. It is very, very
toxic," Bush said. "It is very dangerous to anybody that comes in
contact." Businesses along Rockland Road were evacuated Tuesday night
to prevent any contact. Bush informed that the operation is
completed but authorities are on the scene inspecting for any hazardous
leftovers in the ditch. "They are still digging the whole ditch line
out," Bush said. "They will get all the sulfuric acid back to the ground
and fill the ditch again."

Transportation
Road

April 18, 2017

Colville, WA

First responders are enforcing a 1/4 mile perimeter around the scene of
an overturned semi transporting a trailer of pressurized Sulfur Dioxide.
The truck rolled off the narrow shoulder of Spanish Prairie Road half an
hour ago and is upside down in a ditch one mile north of Colville.
Sulfur Dioxide is an industrial chemical used in winemaking, among other
things. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) classifies Sulfur Dioxide
as "immediately dangerous to life and health." That said, the gas
is not flammable and rarely fatal, due to the acrid smell and horrible
sensation it causes in victims, which inspires those who breathe it to
"run for their lives" according to the CDC. Spanish Prairie Road
is closed in both directions just east of its intersection with US-395.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated. The truck
rolled over into a roadside ditch and is resting upside down.

Fire

April 17, 2017

Port Manatee, Florida

Small fires around a large pile of sulfur at Port Manatee caused the
closure of Piney Point Road on Monday afternoon.Port Manatee Deputy
Executive Director Dave Sanford said that at approximately 3 p.m. a bulk
terminal operator noticed several small fires. The operator attempted to
extinguish the flames but was unsuccessful and called the North River
Fire Department. The fires were put out once the department arrived.As a
precaution, the North River Fire Department has closed Piney Point Road
until further notice.Sanford is unsure of what caused the fires.“It
could have been heat from trucks operating in that area that sat idle,”
Sanford said. “It could have been heat from an idling truck that ignited
it.”

Traffic on the Kwinana Freeway southbound is chaos as emergency services
work to clean up a hazardous chemical spill. The Department of
Fire and Emergency Services reported sulphuric acid is believed to have
leaked from a vehicle travelling along the freeway. The spill is
believed to have occurred between Mill Point Road and South Terrace this
afternoon. Kwinana Freeway exit to South Terrace southbound has
been closed. Anyone who has driven through the area should hose
down their vehicle - preferably on grass. Motorcyclists should
also hose down their clothing immediately before a thorough wash.
The incident was reported at 4pm.

Transportation
Rail

March 15, 2017

Lake Forest

Lake Forest-area residents might have dodged a bullet Wednesday after a
freight train carrying sulfur derailed but did not spill.The Federal
Railroad Administration is investigating the situation that started
shortly after 3 a.m. when 11 rail cars went off the rails and piled up
alongside the Union Pacific Railroad tracks. Nine of the rail cars
contained molten sulfur, a hazardous substance in liquid form that is
used to make sulfuric acid. No leaks or injuries occurred, authorities
said."I think it's fortunate there were no injuries, it wasn't around a
densely populated area of town, and there was no further damage relative
to spills and leaking," Lake Forest Mayor Donald P. Schoenheider
said.U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider of Deerfield noted that "an accident like
this is a clear reminder that we need to be constantly working to
enhance the safety of our rail lines and protection of our
communities."UP crews were still righting rail cars using cranes on a
section of track just east of busy Route 41 and west of Deerpath Road
Wednesday afternoon.Air quality is still being monitored. Sulfur
typically has a rotten egg smell and can irritate or burn the skin upon
exposure.The derailment occurred on tracks that are not used by
Metra.Authorities could not say at what speed the train was traveling or
give a preliminary cause of the derailment. The federal investigation
could take a few months."We are all grateful that no one was hurt and no
hazardous materials were released in the derailment," said Schneider, a
Democrat whose district includes Lake Forest.The derailment occurred
near the Skokie River Nature Preserve, which contains trails, virgin
prairie and rare species.Terri Janecki, who was out walking her dog,
called it "scary. I wonder what made it derail?" she said.Pam Gilmore,
who was skiing in the preserve, wondered why there was no notification
for visitors at the entrance and was relieved nothing spilled into the
environment. "There's a wonderful spring-fed river" in the preserve, she
said.Concerns about rail and hazardous materials have risen in the
suburbs with a spike in trains carrying crude oil and ethanol and a
number of high-profile derailments."We're digging deep into the impact
of freights. There's an increase in freight traffic, trains are getting
longer and more frequent, locomotives are getting heavier," Schoenheider
said. "We're really trying to explore what's going on, who controls this
and what we can do to lessen the impact to residents."Lake Forest
firefighters and police officers first on the scene were able to
interview the engineer, review the manifest and quickly determine
nothing was leaking, Police Cmdr. Craig Lepkowski said.Firefighters then
called out the Lake County and McHenry County Hazardous Materials Teams
to "ensure all was OK and to be on hand if there were any issues,"
Lepkowski said.Authorities warned of intermittent lane closures
throughout the day on northbound Route 41."We apologize for the impact
to commuters on nearby Highway 41," UP spokeswoman Calli Hite said.The
train was traveling from Butler, Wisconsin, to Chicago. Two of the
derailed cars were empty.The National Transportation Safety Board is
investigating a recent fiery derailment of 27 railcars on a UP train
carrying ethanol in Iowa March 10.

Transportation
Rail
Spill

March 8, 2017

Newburgh, NY

A CSX freight train carrying hazardous materials has derailed in New
York's Hudson Valley, spilling sulfuric acid. The lead locomotive
of the 77-car train ended up straddling both lanes of a two-lane road in
Newburgh, 60 miles north of New York City. State police say two crew
members suffered minor injuries. They say the train derailed after
striking an equipment loader that was crossing the tracks Tuesday
afternoon. CSX spokesman Rob Doolittle says the train was carrying
sulfuric acid, sodium hydroxide, cardboard, corn oil and glass products.

Spill

March 3, 2017

Bridgman, Michigan

More than 1,000 gallons of sulfuric acid has leaked into a containment
area outside a nuclear plant in southwestern Michigan. The Nuclear
Regulatory Commission reports on its website that cleanup is ongoing
Thursday at the Cook Nuclear Plant in Bridgman, southwest of Grand
Rapids. The agency says none of the acid was released into the
environment or nearby drains. The leak was discovered Wednesday.
More than 1,000 gallons of sulfuric acid has leaked into a containment
area outside a nuclear plant in southwestern Michigan. The Nuclear
Regulatory Commission reports on its website that cleanup is ongoing
Thursday at the Cook Nuclear Plant in Bridgman, southwest of Grand
Rapids. The agency says none of the acid was released into the
environment or nearby drains. The leak was discovered Wednesday.

Transportation
Road
Spill

February 17, 2017

Fiji

Firefighters on Wednesday night responded to a chemical spill emergency
call and quick action resulted in the prevention of sulphric acid
spilling on to the Lami Harbour front.A statement by the National Fire
Authority said its men responded to an incident where a 10-wheeler truck
carrying a 20-feet container was involved in an accident.The accident
resulted in two of its containers containing sulphuric acid damaged and
the acid spilling on to the road."The firefighters managed to quickly
contain the spillage using sand and soil bund as they neutralised and
cleaned up the surrounding areas," the statement said."The owners of the
cargo have since safely removed their cargo to their premises. The
Department of Environment has also been notified."
www.fijitimes.com

Spill

February 16, 2017

Oberhausen, Germany

About 150 people suffered breathing problems Thursday after sulfuric
acid spilled from a burst tank belonging to a chemical company in the
western German city of Oberhausen and turned into a toxic cloud.
About 130 firefighters and emergency staff treated most people on the
scene. Five people had to be taken to the hospital. The spill was
caused when a ship accidentally pumped hydrochloric acid into a tank
containing sulfuric acid causing the tank to burst, the German news
agency dpa reported.Firefighters' spokesman Joerg Preussner said that
most people had only light breathing troubles, but that everyone in the
area had been asked to stay inside and close the windows. Train
and bus lines were stopped for hours, and city streets, a canal and a
highway were temporarily shut down to keep people away from the area.
All schools and kindergartens were ordered to keep children inside the
buildings until the early afternoon. The visible cloud, which
slowly moved to the northeast of the city, was several hundred meters
(yards) wide. Preussner said that firefighters had used water
cannons and successfully fought the cloud with water mist. The
burst tank was pumped empty and the toxic mixture was taken away by
tanker trucks.

Transportation - Rail
Spill

December 30, 2016

Roxana, Illinois

A chemical train has derailed in southern Illinois, releasing a small
amount of sulfuric acid.

Seven of the Norfolk Southern train cars came off the track Thursday
morning, Dec. 29, in Roxana, the Alton Telegraph reports. Two of the
cars overturned. Norfolk Southern spokesman David Pidgeon said
about a gallon of waste sulfuric acid leaked, but was later contained.
No injuries were reported. Sulfuric acid is used by energy
companies in the petroleum refining process. The tracks are owned by the
railroad and serve the Wood River Refinery. The newspaper reports
that about two dozen firefighters from the refinery responded to the
derailment and spill. Roxana is southwest of Springfield.

Fire

December 28, 2016

Atmore, Alabama

Firefighters battled a sulfur fire at Tiger Sul for some five hours this
morning, according to officials.Atmore Fire Chief Ronald Peebles said
the fire possibly started in the conveyor belt, and didn’t spread into
the hoppers. “The fire burned the ceiling,” he said. Peebles
said Poarch, Nokomis and Walnut Hill fire departments were also called
for manpower. “We got the call around 4:30 a.m. and finished
around 10 a.m.,” he said. “It was contained in one part of the building,
and it burned the insulation off the building.” Peebles said what
makes sulfur fires unique is its physical state — a fine dust.
“It’s kind of like putting water on grease,” he said. “You hit it with
water and the dust is so fine, it ignites like gasoline.” Peebles
said firefighters used a fog stream, or mist, to quell the flames.
“We put a lot of water on it,” Peebles said. Additionally, Atmore
Ambulance was present and provided a rehab center for firefighters going
in and out of the fire.

Rail
Spill

December 11, 2016

Australia

A damning report into a derailment at Julia Creek which caused
thousands of litres of sulphuric acid to leak from damaged tankers has
found failings by Queensland Rail and Aurizon. The report released
by The Australian Transport Safety Bureau into the derailment on
December 27 last year, found the accident was caused by wet weather
damage to the track. ATSB concluded that QR and Aurizon had
inadequate reporting procedures to identify and respond to potentially
dangerous situations caused by wet weather. No fault was found
with the acid tankers or the manner of driving. The report said
the locomotive driver spotted the wet weather damage but couldn’t stop
in time. “The driver became aware of the washout only moments
before the locomotive impacted and derailed, causing the locomotive to
tip on its side,” the report stated. It was also found that the
Aurizon train crew had trouble getting out of the locomotive as
floodwater started filling the cabin. The crew tried
unsuccessfully to use the emergency hammer to break through the front
windscreen before eventually escaping by climbing out a side window.
One of the crew members then noticed an acid plume rising from the
derailed tankers and as they had no breathing masks, decided to flee the
accident scene. As the crew’s radios had fallen into the
floodwater, they also had no way of calling for help. They managed
to flag down a passing motorist who let them borrow a mobile phone.
As a result of the derailment QR now issues safety alerts to better
manage wet weather hazards while staff have also received training in
interpreting weather ­information. Aurizon crews transporting acid
are now supplied with respiratory protection masks and they are
reviewing their emergency evacuation procedures. They are also reviewing
their locomotive windscreen and communication options. The ATSB
report stated in the safety message that this incident showed the
importance of managing risks to rail infrastructure. “Rail
infrastructure managers must implement adequate operational procedures
and training programs to ensure the timely identification and management
of a hazard and the integrity of their rail infrastructure, such as a
weather event,” the report stated. The Aurizon freight train was
transporting more than 800,000 litres of sulphuric acid when it went off
the tracks about 20km east of Julie Creek. Thousands of litres of
acid was spilt and the three crew on board received minor injuries.

Spill

December 1, 2016

Mulbery Fork, Alabama

American Proteins poultry rendering facility in Hanceville will have to
pay a $50,000 fine for spilling 900 gallons of sulfuric acid into the
Mulberry Fork in August. The Alabama Department of Environmental
Management investigated the mishap which killed an estimated 38,000 fish
across a 1.55-mile stretch, according to its consent order with the
company, released this month. Residents were advised to avoid the
river until the watershed could be cleaned up following the Aug. 17
spill. Since then, American Proteins has eliminated the use of sulfuric
acid entirely at its facility, according to the ADEM order. The
company is also taking steps to ensure that this type of spill does not
occur in the future,” General Manager Jason Spann said. ADEM’s
investigation revealed a pipe from a sulfuric acid tank ruptured and
filled a containment berm. A clean-out valve on the self-containment
tank had been left in the open position by a vendor who had filled up
the tank earlier in the day, according to the order. The acid
drained from the containment berm, into a storm drain and into a storm
water collection pit. There it mixed with stormwater and flowed into the
Mulberry. American Proteins immediately reported the spill to ADEM
and began pumping storm water from the pit and covering storm drains
behind the facility to prevent inflow of any storm water. It also
hired a third-party contractor to make repairs to prevent leaks,
collected water samples and pH readings and altered its permitted
discharge to reduce the effects of the accidental discharge, according
to the order. The concrete where the leak occurred was also replaced.
American Proteins is the largest poultry rendering plant in the world.
The facility in Hanceville is located on more 600 acres and employs
around 230 employees. It averages processing 35 to 36 million pounds of
“offal” per week. Offal is parts of the chicken consumers don’t eat.
The raw material is turned into nutrient-rich feed supplements for
poultry, livestock and pet food industries around the globe. The
Hanceville plant began operating in the 1960s, but was acquired by
American Proteins in December of 1979.

Environmental - Release

November 25, 2016

Thailand

More than 30 residents of Prachinburi’s Si Maha Phot district were
hospitalized Thursday night by a factory chemical spill. A factory
belonging to Sunshine Biotech International released large clouds of
sulfuric acid into the air which spread to the neighboring households,
sickening those inside. Many suffered from skin rashes, had
difficulty breathing and vomited blood. They were sent to Chao Phya
Abhaibhubejhr Hospital, according to police Col. Narat Rattanajinda.
About 100 angry residents protested at the factory located in the 304
Industrial Park on Thursday night, demanding its closure. They said it
was not the first time the corrosive gas leaked. Whether the
factory is closed or faces any legal sanction depends on the outcome of
a meeting Friday morning in which the provincial governor participated.
According to its website, Sunshine Biotech is a joint venture between
Thailand and China that manufactures citric acid.

Environmental - Release

September 15, 2016

California, USA

TheTesoro Corp.has
yet to determine the cause of the Aug. 26 sulfur tank breach at its Los
Angeles Refinery. The tank was being used to store molten sulfur.
After the lid of the tank was breached, a plume of gases escaped from
it. The tank’s insulation caught on fire. Along with Tesoro, theLos
Angeles County Fire Departmentand
theLos Angeles County
Sheriff’s Departmentresponded
to the incident. The fire was extinguished before the tank was
significantly damaged. No injuries due to the tank breach were reported.
The sheriff’s department ordered businesses and residents within a
quarter mile to “shelter in place,” while responders surveyed the damage
due to the breach. This means buildings were to be sealed by closing
doors and shutting windows, so that harmful gases could not easily
enter. Jesse Marquez, executive director ofCoalition
for a Safe Environmentsaid
that this technique is only effective if buildings are sealed
immediately after an incident. If a building were to be sealed after
gases already diffused inside, occupants could actually be harmed more
than if the building were not sealed at all. TheSouth
Coast Air Quality Monitoring Districtconducted air monitoring and sampling of the
surrounding area. The district concluded that harmful levels of toxic
chemicals were not present. The refinery continued to operate
while the tank was being inspected. Marquez said that knowing the
type of breach will help investigators focus on its cause. The two main
types of tank breaches are cracks or ruptures. Both can be brought on by
external and internal factors. However, cracks are more likely due to
metal fatigue of the tank over time. Ruptures can be caused by something
more immediate, such as a bolt hitting the tank. Tesoro is
coordinating with theCalifornia
Division of Occupational Safety and Health to determine the cause of the
tank breach, as well as the exact type of breach.

Transportation
Road
Spill

September 2, 2016

Halsey

A tractor-trailer hauling sulfuric acid drove
off the roadway in Halsey on Thursday and ended up on its side in a
field, spilling a small amount of the toxic substance, according to the
Linn County Sheriff’s Office. Sulfuric acid is a strong corrosive
chemical that can cause burns. It is used in car batteries, fertilizers
and some cleaning materials, among other products. The truck was
on American Drive near Powerline Road when the single-vehicle crash
occurred for an unknown reason. The driver of the truck, Dawn
Loftis, 69, of Woodland, Wash., suffered minor injuries in the crash,
authorities said. A small amount of the acid leaked but did not
pose a risk to the public, the sheriff’s office said. A hazardous
materials team responded, and another truck was called in to off-load
the tanker’s acid haul, according to authorities. The road was
open and was not blocked, authorities said.

Explosion

August 27, 2016

Wilmington, CA

A sulphur tank has exploded at the largest oil refinery in
California, sending a chemical cloud into the air and causing a fire, US
authorities say. No injuries were reported. There was no immediate
word on the cause of the blast at the Tesoro refinery in Wilmington near
Long Beach. ``We are currently conducting air quality monitoring
around the site,'' company spokesman Destin Singleton said. ``At this
time we have not detected any harmful levels of toxins.'' The Los
Angeles County Fire Department sent in a hazardous materials team and
the Sheriff's Department urged people within 400 metres of the scene to
stay indoors. The refinery near the Port of Long Beach is the
largest refinery on the west coast, according to Tesoro. It produces
petrol, jet fuel, diesel and other fuels.

Transportation - Road
Spill

August 26, 2016

Oklahoma

The crash of a tractor-trailer truck in southern Oklahoma has resulted
in the death of its driver and the release of hazardous sulfuric acid.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol says 49-year-old Randy Lewis Perkins of
Sapulpa died in Wednesday's crash along U.S. Highway 69 at Caddo in
Bryan County. Troopers say the crash occurred shortly before 4
p.m. when a 2016 Peterbilt truck veered off the roadway and struck a
bridge. Perkins was ejected about 15 feet and was pronounced dead at the
scene. The patrol says the collision released the truck's
hazardous sulfuric acid cargo, exposing and damaging other vehicles.
Troopers say the extent of damage was being assessed. It was not
immediately known if the victim was wearing a seat belt. The cause of
the crash is under investigation.

Transportation - Marine

August 19, 2016

Melbourne, Australia

A tanker carrying chemicals has run aground in waters off the Mornington
Peninsula, south-east of Melbourne. The ship, the Hope Singapore,
is believed to have hit a sandbar off the coast of Rosebud after its
engine failed. Port of Melbourne Corporation chief executive Nick
Easy said authorities believed the ship would float clear of the sandbar
at high tide. Mr Easy said the ship did not pose an environmental
risk. "It has sulphuric acid on board but there's no pollution or
damage that's led to any environmental incidents and there's no
navigational safety risks as a result of this at this stage," he said.
The 115-metre-long small liquid bulk carrier was en route to Geelong
when it ran aground early on Friday evening. Mr Easy said early
attempts to move the vessel out of the sand using a tug boat were
unsuccessful. No details of how many crew members were on board
were available. The Harbour Master, Water Police and other
agencies were expected to investigate the incident.

Spill

August 19, 2016

Hanceville, Alabama

The Alabama Department of Environmental Management says it is
investigating a release of about 900 gallons of sulfuric acid that
occurred at the American Proteins Facility in Hanceville.ADEM spokesman
Jerome Hand said Thursday that the sulfuric acid reached the Mulberry
Fork, resulting in fish being killed. ADEM is investigating the cause of
the release and monitoring the situation.Hand says the Alabama
Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has been contacted to
assess the extent of the fish killed. ADEM advises that all recreational
activities in the Mulberry Fork stop until more information is
available.

Environmental - Release

August 14, 2016

Geismar, LA

Residents near the Honeywell Plant
were alerted just before 11:30 pm that the sulfuric acid leaks at the
plant were "under control," according to a fax from Iberville
Parish emergency authorities.Residents had been asked to shelter in
place after the leak was discovered. A second leak occurred not long
after the first, authorities said.Chief Kevin Ambeau of St. Gabriel
Police said he could see a cloud of gas after the release from
Honeywell. He advised everyone to shelter in place in the St. Gabriel
and Carville areas.First responders reported burning eyes due to the
gas.A statement from Honeywell spokesperson Peter Dalpe read as
follows:“Honeywell's Geismar facility experienced a leak of sulfuric
acid this evening. The facility's emergency response team is working to
mitigate and stop the leak. The plant has instructed employees of the
site and two neighboring sites to shelter in place as a precaution. The
facility also notified state police of the incident as per plant
procedure.”The plant is located at 5525 Highway 3115 in Geismar.

Fire

July 27, 2016

KwinanaWestern Australia

Fire crews have been sent to a site in Perth's industrial south where a
pile of sulfur is smouldering. The Department of Environment and
Regulation (DER) have also headed to Bis Industries on Port Road in
Kwinana to test for environmental hazards. Fire authorities said
they were alerted just after 7:00pm and three HAZMAT alarms had gone
off. There was up to 70,000 tonnes of sulfur stored in a shed and
at least part of it was "smouldering", a Department of Fire and
Emergency Services spokesman said. More than 20 fire fighters were
last night on the scene.

Transportation - Road
Spill

July 25, 2016

Annville, PA

The sulfuric acid spill that closed down Interstate 81 Monday
evening was successfully contained and was kept from harming the
environment, according to thePennsylvania
Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). “None of the material
spilled made it into waterways or into the environment beyond the
roadway,” John Repetz, spokesperson for the DEP, said. The DEP’s
emergency response unit went out to the incident to provide air
monitoring and are sent out to spills on an as-needed basis depending on
the nature of the incident, according to Repetz. The spill, which
occurred near mile marker 86.5, was the result of two leaking 275-gallon
totes – cube-shaped, plastic containers meant for the bulk transport of
fluids – that were being hauled inside of a tractor-trailer. There were
a total of 12 such totes on the trailer, and when the driver noticed
fluid leaking onto the roadway from the trailer, he immediately pulled
over and called 9-1-1, according to Repetz. Because of an
existing traffic backlog on Interstate 81 due to a crash in Dauphin
County, the driver found that he had to come to a quick stop as he
entered the curve where Interstates 78 and 81 merge, according to
information provided by David Beohm, public information officer with the
Pennsylvania State Police. The truck entered the curve,
encountered the backlog and "slammed" his brakes on to avoid colliding
with the stopped vehicles," Beohm said via email. "When he did, several
of the totes of sulfuric acid broke from the skids they were secured to,
fell over and spilled the contents." The driver was initially
unaware of the leaking totes and drove slowly in the backed up traffic
until he looked back and saw something leaking from his trailer,
according to the information Beohm provided. “From the beginning,
when the driver realized there was a problem, he took appropriate
action,” Repetz said. “The trucking company had all the proper
paperwork and was able to advise us on exactly what was in the totes.”
After the driver made the call at 5:22 p.m., the Lebanon County
Hazardous Material Response Team leapt into action along with state
police from Lickdale, fire crews from Ono, Jonestown, Fort Indiantown
Gap, Green Point and Fredericksburg, fire police and the First Aid and
Safety Patrol. “Upon their arrival, crews took caution and closed
down Interstate 81 in the area of the event due to the unknown size of
the leak, and the weather conditions that were present at the time,”
Gary Verna, chief of the Lebanon County Hazardous Material Response
Team, said. Verna, a former lieutenant with the First Aid and
Safety Patrol, took over aschief
of the HazMat team early in July.

The weather conditions Verna mentioned involved a strong thunderstorm
that was moving through the area at the time. “Of course, we had a
severe thunderstorm that crossed our path during our response which made
things a little tricky,” Verna said. “The storm delayed us a little bit
in getting the leak stopped, but we were able to get the spill contained
before the storm hit.” When the storm hit, Verna called the crews
away from the spill to let the storm – and its dangerous
lightning – pass before going back to work.

“We had Lancaster County’s hazardous materials team dispatched after we
found out that it was an active leak,” Verna said. “We closed down
Interstate 81 in both directions because the acid started to fume, and
those fumes were going across the roadway. We wanted to prevent any
passing motorists from getting harmed by the fumes.” Interstate 81
was closed both directions from the Grantville exit to the Lebanon exit
for several hours. “By 10 p.m., the northbound lanes were open,
and by 10:30 p.m., the left southbound lane was open,” Verna said.
“Shortly after midnight, the southbound lane was totally open.”

The initial sealing of the leak and containment of the spill did not
take very long, according to Verna. It was the cleanup that followed
that took the most time. “Environmental Products & Services, based
out of Vermont, was the company that was contracted to perform the
cleanup,” Verna said. “Transportation companies typically have people
they contract out for cleanup.” Contracting the cleanup of a spill
to an outside company is common practice, according to Repetz.
“There are companies that specialize in doing the cleanup after
incidents like this,” Repetz said. “They have trained and qualified
personnel that will come out and do the cleanup after a spill has been
contained.” The response to the spill by emergency services was
very successful, according to Verna, and Repetz agreed. “Anytime
you prevent a hazardous materials spill from reaching a waterway or
wildlife, you could say it was successfully dealt with,” Repetz said.

Transportation - Road
Spill

July 18, 2016

Warwickshire, UK

Drivers faced a nightmare Monday morning commute after a lorry spilled
1,400 litres of sulphuric acid – forcing the closure of the M6.
The motorway was shut southbound from junctions five to 4A, the M42
link , nearColeshill , when firefighters were told of the leaking lorry
at 5.20 am. Checks revealed it was carrying a total of almost
30,000 litres of the acid in 20 containers. Warwickshire Fire and
Rescue said one had split, forcing the closure. Delays quickly
grew as drivers found themselves stuck and others looked for alternative
routes. Traffic was taken off the M6 at Junction 4A and motorists
diverted north onto the M42 at Junction 9 before they could rejoin the
M42 south. Firefighters wore protective suits as they checked the
lorry and a ten-metre square contamination zone was put in place.
Delays of around half-an-hour were reported as the rush hour wore on,
with drivers taking to social media to express their frustration.
One tweeted: “Ahhh stuck in traffic on the M6 again.”
Firefighters wore protective suits as they checked the lorry and a
ten-metre square contamination zone was put in place. Delays of
around half-an-hour were reported as the rush hour wore on, with drivers
taking to social media to express their frustration. One tweeted:
“Ahhh stuck in traffic on the M6 again.”

Transportation - Rail

July 2, 2016

Julia Creek, QueenslandAustralia

A freight train carrying about 40 wagons of sulphuric acid derailed near
Julia Creek early Saturday morning. A Queensland Rail spokesperson
said about 4am an Aurizon train derailed 15km east of town – barely 15km
from where a train derailment caused a major spill of sulphuric acid in
December. The cause of that accident was flooding but the cause
of the latest accident is not yet known though no one was injured.
Four of the wagons left the tracks but remained upright and Queensland
Rail said there were no leaks. The Queensland Fire and Emergency
Service said they received a call about 4.35am, two crews attended the
scene and after assessing the carriages found no apparent leaks.
The train was heading west from Townsville to a mine site when it came
off the tracks. Two passenger trains travelling between Mount Isa
and Townsville have been cancelled. Queensland Rail safety
investigators are on their way to the scene.

Spill

July 1, 2016

Watertown, NY

Workers at Knowlton Technologies Inc., 213 Factory St., were evacuated
Thursday morning after a toxic chemical reaction occurred on one of its
product lines. City Fire Chief Dale C. Herman said that at about 6
a.m. a worker was infusing a product line with chlorine when a nearby
sulfuric acid line broke, causing the chemical reaction. The chief said
the worker “had the presence of mind” to stop the flow of sulfuric acid
and immediately diluted the reaction with water. Fumes filled the
building’s lower level, prompting evacuation of all employees. Chief
Herman said fire crews arrived and placed absorbent materials on the
mixed chemicals and began ventilating the building. An odor of chlorine
also was noted in the office areas of Knowlton and those areas were
ventilated. “Everything was contained to the building,” Chief
Herman said. “There was no escape to the public.” Workers in the
immediate area of the reaction were evaluated by Guilfoyle Ambulance
Service personnel, but none exhibited acute symptoms, the chief said. He
said the workers will continue to be monitored in the coming days and,
if they experience any difficulty breathing or other ailments, have been
advised to seek medical treatment. By 8 a.m., workers had been
allowed back into Knowlton’s building on Beebee Island along Mill
Street. Chief Herman said the remainder of the workers were expected to
be allowed to return to the Factory Street buildings by about 9 a.m.
Fire crews cleared the scene just before 11 a.m.

Spill

June 28, 2016

Ulsan, South Korea

About a thousand liters of sulfuric acid leaked from the construction
site of a smelter factory in the country's industrial city of Ulsan
Tuesday, injuring six workers, firefighters said. The incident
took place at around 9:15 a.m. at a factory owned by Korea Zinc Inc.,
the country's largest zinc smelter, some 414 kilometers southeast of
Seoul. The chemical at some 70 percent concentration leaked as six
workers were disassembling pipes for maintenance. All six are suffering
from burns, with three of them in critical condition, authorities said.
Firefighters said they are investigating whether there is any secondary
damage from the accident. Earlier in the day, about a ton of waste
chemicals comprised of hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, hydrofluoric acid
and water spilled out of a tank due to chemical reactions in Gumi, 261
kilometers southeast of Seoul. The firefighters completed cleanup
of the spilled chemicals at around 5:30 a.m., about three hours after
the incident was first reported. They said no harmful chemical
substances were detected near the site of the accident.

Environmental Release

June 16, 2016

Loveland, COUSA

Loveland and Fort Collins fire crews responded to a sulfur dioxide leak
Thursday morning at Cardinal CG, 999 N. Van Buren Ave. The coated
glass plant reported a 200-pound cylinder was leaking the potentially
toxic gas at 8:36 a.m., according to Loveland fire Battalion Chief Jason
Starck. Two employees were exposed to the sulfur dioxide. They
were treated by Thompson Valley EMS crews and released at the scene.
"Mainly (sulfur dioxide) is an irritant," Starck said. "But it can be
toxic in high-enough doses. It can cause burning of the skin."
Carie Dann, Loveland deputy fire marshal, said the gas can also cause
respiratory issues. Loveland Fire Rescue Authority evacuated the
rest of the building as a safety percaution, as crews were on scene were
entering the building in hazmat suits to isolate and fix the leak,
Starck said. The sulfur dioxide is used in the company's process
in treating glass. Poudre Fire Authority crews responded as well —
they brought extra personnel and additional monitoring equipment.
"Hazmat takes a long time," Dann said. "It's very labor intensive,
that's why PFA is here. ... It's to help make sure the entry team is
dressed properly — so, it takes a lot of folks to do that. Once we know
it's a hazmat scene, everything slows down and we become very
deliberate." According to reports on the scanner, the leak was
contained at 12:56 p.m.North Van Buren Avenue was closed from West
Eighth Street to West 10th Street while crews worked.

Spill
Transportation - Road

June 5, 2016

Umvoti Ultra CitySouth Africa

14 people are receiving treatment for severe respiratory issues after a
truck carrying sulphuric acid overturned on the N2 between KwaDukuza and
Ballito on the north coast.

The truck crashed on the southbound carriageway at the Umvoti Ultra City
yesterday afternoon. Emergency services had to close the road for some
time as crews attended to the scene. IPSS Medical Rescue’s Paul Herbst
says patients were immediately rushed to hospital. "They were
transported by IPSS emergency services and by private transport through
to hospital for further care. The road was closed for quite a
substantial amount of time," he said. "The sound bound lane has
been reopened, but the Ultra City still remains closed," Herbst said.

A truck carrying sulphuric acid overturned at the Umvoti Ultra City,
south bound, on Saturday, IPSS Medical Rescue said. The truck
carrying sixteen 1 000-litre containers overturned in the parking lot of
the Ultra City, IPSS Medical Rescue spokesperson Dylan Meyrick said.
"At the moment, we are not sure how many containers have ruptured
because there is too much gas," he said. Fourteen people were
taken to hospital. Meyrick said the fire department and medical rescue
teams were on the scene trying to contain the situation.

Spill
Transportation - Road

June 2, 2016

Little Rock
Arkansas

A leak of sulfur dioxide gas from a tanker truck on Thursday afternoon
prompted the response of hazardous materials crews to an vacant lot near
I-30 in Little Rock, a fire department spokesman said. The driver
of the truck first smelled the leak while getting gas from the Love's
Travel Stop near the Outlets of Little Rock and drove the tanker to the
lot about 1 mile away, Capt. Jacob Lear-Sabowsky of the Little Rock Fire
Department said. Lear-Sabowsky said the leak was reported about
noon, and the scene was cleared by 3:30 p.m. No injuries were reported.
The leak was in gas form, and no liquid had spilled on the highway, he
said. Check back with Arkansas Online for updates on this
developing story.

Fire

May 23, 2016

Riverview, Florida

A tank of molten sulphur caught fire Monday afternoon near the Mosaic
Co. plant in Riverview.

The fire briefly shut down traffic on U.S. 41 between Madison Avenue and
Gibsonton Drive. One firefighter hurt her wrist tightening a tank valve,
Hillsborough County Fire Rescue said. No other injuries were reported.
The fire broke out about 3:30 p.m. inside the plant at 8814 S. U.S.
Highway 41, and workers used steam to extinguish it. The fire was
contained inside the tank, officials said. "It's no danger to the
public," Mosaic spokesman Richard Gent said.

The cause of the fire was still under investigation.

Transportation - Road

May 10, 2016

Geismer, LA

An overturned 18-wheeler has shut down a
Geismar road as hazardous materials crews respond to the scene.Jefferson
Highway, also known as La. 73, is blocked between La. 30 and River Road,
after a big rig incident about 11 a.m., said Louisiana State Police
spokesman Trooper Bryan Lee. The 18-wheeler tanker contained
sulfuric acid and a small amount of it is leaking from a safety valve on
the tanker, a parish homeland security official said. Rick Webre,
director of Ascension Parish homeland security, said that the valve is
actually performing as it should be and the acid poses no threat to
traffic or the surrounding area. He said no evacuation has been ordered
for the area or the traffic site. He said a contractor is being
called in to remove the sulfuric acid from the tanker.

Spill

April 22, 2016

Flagler Beach, Florida

A key thoroughfare was reopened late Thursday night after about
300 gallons of sulfuric acid spilled on State Road A1A earlier in the
day and officials have begun calculating the cost of the cleanup.
At 9:38 a.m., a skid holding a large container slipped off a flatbed
truck as it traveled on S.R. A1A just north of the State Road 100
intersection, spilling the 50 percent sulfuric acid solution. A
hazmat team from St. Johns County was called in to neutralize the
solution and the state departments of Environmental Protection and
Transportation were notified. Within three hours, the spill was
neutralized with sodium bicarbonate, officials said. Units from
the Flagler Beach Fire Department, Flagler County Emergency Management,
Flagler County Fire Rescue, Flagler Beach Police Department, Flagler
Beach Fire Police and Palm Coast Fire Police also responded. No
injuries were reported. SWS Environmental Services, a contractor
for Dumont Chemical Co. of Apopka, which owns the truck, excavated
neutralized sand along the roadway, according to a report from the
county. Flagler Beach Fire Department Capt. Bobby Pace said
between 8 and 12 inches of the sand was excavated and about 36 yards of
fill was brought in. In his conversation with the DEP, he didn't get any
indication that there has been any long-term damage. Florida DOT
contractor TME Enterprises reopened the road at 11:15 p.m. Thursday
after declaring it “fully operational,” according to Steve Garten, the
county's emergency services director. The city's Public Works
Department still had the shoulder barricaded Friday morning.
“Hopefully, it will be business as usual by the weekend,” said Pace.
Flagler Beach Police Capt. Matthew Doughney said Thursday the truck
driver had a valid license and was approved for transporting hazardous
materials. Though the investigation was continuing, Doughney did not
anticipate the driver would be charged in the incident.

Flagler Beach City Manager Larry Newsom said the city is
compiling an invoice to be sent to the shipper, Hawkins Inc. of Apopka.
He indicated that the various agencies involved may be compiling their
own invoices. He did not have a cost estimate for the cleanup as of
Friday. Hawkins formulates, manufactures, blends, distributes and
sells chemicals to municipalities and businesses. Water treatment
facilities are among the company's customers. According to the
company's manifest, the acid solution was bound for the Dunes Community
Development District at 101 Jungle Hut Road, Palm Coast. The district is
responsible for a host of water and wastewater issues at four private
communities north of Flagler Beach: Hammock Dunes, Ocean Hammock,
Hammock Beach and Yacht Harbor Village.

Spill

April 14, 2016

Milton, Pennsylvania

A faulty valve caused a leak of about 200
gallons of sulfuric acid inside a building at the Milton Regional Sewer
Authority plant around midday today, a fire official said.

No one was hurt and Northridge Group Inc. Environmental Response,
Winfield, was on the scene cleaning up the spill, said Lt. Brad Gaugler
of the Milton Fire Department.

“They contained the spill and they’re going to clean it up,” Gaugler
said.

State Department of Environmental Protection spokesman Dan Spadoni said
DEP was notified of the spill but not requested to respond. He said the
spill was contained inside the building.

“Our Clean Water program will follow up,” Spadoni said. “Northridge
remediated the spill.”

Spill

April 5, 2016

EAST LANSING, Michigan

About 800 gallons of sulfuric acid leaked
from a tanker Tuesday morning inside the TB Simon Power Plant on
Michigan State University's campus, causing the majority of workers to
be evacuated, officials said. The chemical spill happened around
8:30 a.m., and Service Road between Harrison Road and Farm Lane was
closed before reopening around 11 a.m., MSU police Capt. Doug
Monette said. No injuries were reported. The spill was largely
contained to the room with the tanker, university spokesman Jason
Cody said, but a small amount leaked into a basement aisle and into a
storm sewer system. He added that the university contacted the East
Lansing wastewater treatment plant. Scott House, the
city's director of public works, said the city has been in contact with
the university and has been running tests throughout the day with no
negative impacts. Crews were still working Tuesday afternoon to
clean up the spill, test the air and return the affected area to a safe
condition for workers, university spokesman Jason Cody said. That
process was expected to be completed Tuesday evening. The leak
occurred in a flange on an outside line that brings the acid to the
tank, although the leak occurred inside the power plant, Cody said.
No disruption of power to the university was reported, Cody said. He
added that while a majority of workers were evacuated from the building
"out of an abundance of caution," the necessary control operations to
keep the plant functioning weren't affected. The power plant can
be run by five employees, but at any given time about 40 people can be
working at the plant, he said. The power plant uses water, treated
with sulfuric acid and other chemicals, in the power generating process,
Cody said. The water in the power plant treated with chemicals isn't
connected to the campus' other water systems, he said. The plant was not
damaged, Cody said. Monette said the East Lansing Fire Department
and MSU's Environmental Health and Safety staff were notified of the
spill, which is standard procedure. The university was bringing in an
abatement company to assist with the cleanup, Cody said.

Spill

March 27, 2016

Chicago, USA

A hazardous materials response team was
called to Chicago's Far South Side Sunday following a chemical spill.
The Chicago Fire Dept. said 500 gallons of sulfuric acid spilled at a
building in the 12200-block of S. Carondolet. Chicago firefighters
were able to clean up the scene. There were no evacuations and no one
was hurt.

Transportation - Road
Spill

March 22, 2016

Queensland

A highway in northwest Queensland will reopen after a truck rolled
and spilled 17,000 litres of sulphuric acid. The Flinders Highway at
Maxwelton, near Richmond, was closed yesterday afternoon to allow
authorities to clean up the hazardous material. The section of highway,
between the Hopevale and Nondas West turn-offs, was expected to reopen
at 6 o’clock tonight. “All of the sulfuric acid from the damaged tanks
has been emptied out and a recovery crew is currently separating them
from the prime mover,” police said in a statement. The prime mover and
first tank would be driven from the site as neither were damaged, they
said. The truck was carrying three tanks of sulphuric acid when it
rolled. One leaked, prompting authorities to establish a 10km exclusion
zone. The leak is just 100km from where an estimated 80,000 litres of
sulphuric acid was spilt in a train derailment amid a drought-breaking
deluge in late December.

Environmental = Release

February 18,
2016

Delaware City,
Delaware, USA

A toxic chemical was released into the air from the
Delaware City Refinery, according to state environmental officials.
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control
said the emission of 144 lbs. of sulfur dioxide happened Thursday,
February 18, 2016 around 7:13 a.m. The gas, considered to be
hazardous by the Environmental Protection Agency, and bears a pungent,
irritating, and rotten smell. DNREC was investigating the
incident.

Environmental = Release

February 18, 2015

Middleton, Ohio, USA

The quick actions of the Pilot
Chemical Co. response team, and a steady breeze were credited for
reducing the risks associated with a potentially dangerous chemical
spill Thursday morning.

Middletown Division of Fire
Chief Paul Lolli said when his department was notified at 11:11 a.m.
Thursday that sulfur trioxide had leaked from a tanker while the
chemical was being transferred into the facility, the company’s response
team had stopped the leak and contained it in a spill pit.

Plus, Lolli said, the 5 to 10
mph winds blowing from the east helped dilute and push the plume of
smoke off to the west and out of the area. Sulfur trioxide can cause
serious burns on both inhalation and ingestion because it is highly
corrosive, Lolli said. He said it should be handled with extreme care
since it reacts with water violently and produces highly corrosive
sulfuric acid.

Lolli said if sulfur trioxide is
breathed or comes in contact with skin it can cause “serious medical
problems,” though no injuries were reported.

Two hours after the leak was
reported at 3436 Yankee Road, most of the emergency personal from the
Butler County Hazardous Material Team, Middletown and Monroe
firefighters and police officers had left the scene. Yankee Road was
closed for more than two hours.

Pilot officials said there were
between 3,500 and 4,000 gallons of sulfur trioxide stored in the tanker.
Lolli said “not a lot” spilled. When pressed on the amount by reporters,
Lolli estimated less than 50 gallons escaped. He said one plume of smoke
was visible after the sulfur trioxide exited the tanker.

It’s unclear how the chemical
leaked, and Lolli said a team of investigators from Pilot and the fire
department will try to determine a cause. He said the investigation
would begin once the spill was cleaned up. He didn’t have a timetable
when the investigation will be complete.

Middletown officials notified
about 800 residents near Pilot Chemical about the potential dangers of
the chemicals, and they were told to remain indoors.

The Middletown City Schools
District issued a sheltering in place for students and staff at Amanda
Elementary on Oxford State Road, though concerned parents were permitted
to pick up their students. The school is located about one mile from the
plant. School officials said about 30 students were picked up early by
their parents.

Superintendent Sam Ison said all
students were placed in the school’s cafeteria as a precaution. He said
all windows at the school were closed and the HVAC system was turned off
during the sheltering in place.

Pilot Chemical released the
following statement regarding the spill: “We are aware that a chemical
leak occurred shortly after 11 a.m. at our Middletown plant. Our team is
actively working with city and fire department officials to ensure the
safety of our employees, our neighbors and the community. We will share
more details as we can. We appreciate everyone’s cooperation.”

Transportation - Road

February 2, 2016

USA

An adverse reaction to a change
in medication might have contributed to a semi driver hauling a tanker
full of sulfuric acid driving into a ditch off Interstate 41 Tuesday in
Washington County, the sheriff's office said. The driver began to feel
dizzy and nauseous while traveling north in the left lane of the highway
south of state Highway 60, according to a news release from the
Washington County Sheriff's Office.According to the
release, the semi, driven by a 54-year-old Greenfield man, veered into
the right lane before entering the ditch. There was never any danger of
leakage from the tanker, according to the sheriff's office.A recent change in prescribed medication for the operator is a
possible contributing factor to the accident, according to the sheriff's
office.The driver was not transported from the scene
and there was no damage to the semi.The driver was
given an inspection report and placed out of service until no longer
ill, according to the release.

Transportation - Road

January 22, 2016

Newcastle, NSW

January 22, 2016 - A truck
driver was lucky to escape serious injury when his rig, loaded with
sulphur, caught fire at Dyraaba near Casino.
Newcastle Fire Communications shift supervisor Paul Randall said NSW
Fire and Rescue Casino brigade was called to Sextonville Rd at 12.30pm
today after reports a truck had caught fire.When
fire fighters arrived at the scene they found it was no ordinary truck
fire, as the burning eight-tonne rig was carrying three-and-a-half
tonnes of sulphur, Mr Randall said.Reinforcements
were called from across the Northern Rivers, with eight tankers called
to the scene from Lismore, Goonellabah, Alstonville and Kyogle, and
Hazmat units from Goonellabah and Tweed Heads.“It
was very fortunate that when fire fighters arrived the truck driver had
managed to get out of the vehicle and to safety,” he said.The Gavin Creighton’s Fertiliser Spreading truck spilled part of
the sulphur, Mr Randall said, and burned for more than three hours as
fire fighters battled the blaze and shifting wind conditions.“One minute fire fighters were upwind from the truck and the next
minute the wind would swing around and they had to move the tankers and
personnel to the other side of the truck,” he said.
“Hazmat units monitored any run-off from the fire and also conducted
atmospheric testing at the scene to make sure fumes weren’t affecting
any nearby residents, because burning sulphur gives off very toxic
fumes.

“The Rural Fire Service had
tankers at the scene relaying water to NSW Fire and Rescue.”By 4.05pm, Mr Randall said fire fighters had the blaze
extinguished and were moving the remaining sulphur around to ensure
there were no remaining hotspots, while atmospheric testing continued.Mr Randall said the cause of the fire was yet to be determined.Owner of the truck, Jodie Creighton, said the insured truck was
totally destroyed.“My main concern was for our
driver and fortunately he is safe and was unharmed,” she said.Losing the truck will impact the business, Mrs Creighton said,
but fortunately they had other trucks they could continue operating.“At the end of the day we’re a small family business and we are
down a truck so I don’t know what we will do,” she said.“It has been a very stressful afternoon but the main thing is
everyone is safe.”

Transportation - Rail

January 20, 2016

Martinez, California

January 20, 2016 - Three train
cars carrying sulfuric acid have been placed back on the tracks under
Interstate Highway 680 in Martinez and moved away from the area where
they derailed Wednesday morning, according to firefighters.Contra Costa County firefighters announced via Twitter that all
the cars had been put back on the tracks and the scene had been turned
back over to the railroad company at 7:48 p.m.The
tanker cars, which did not leak their contents, initially derailed under
the highway near Marina Vista Avenue at about 7:30 a.m., Union Pacific
Railroad spokesman Francisco Castillo Jr. said.
Castillo said a Union Pacific crew delivered another company’s 20 train
cars on Monday from its tracks to an industry line used by a company
called Eco Services.According to county officials,
the company removes certain substances from the acid.
When the train was being moved, three of its tanker cars came off the
tracks, Castillo said. One of the cars tipped over at a roughly
45-degree angle. County hazmat crews that initially responded determined
the tankers were not leaking their sulfuric acid contents.Local activist Andrés Soto, a spokesman for Benicians for a Safe
and Healthy Community, was at the scene this afternoon.“The whole community dodged a bullet,” he said, given that the
sulfuric acid didn’t leak out.He called the incident
a “near miss.”Soto, whose group is against a
proposal to deliver crude oil by rail to a Valero refinery in Benicia,
said this represents a warning sign.“Once again we
learn transporting hazardous materials by railroads is a dangerous
business,” he said.

January 27, 2016 - Contra Costa
County hazardous materials officials said today there are troubling
aspects to a company's initial account of the derailment of sulfuric
acid-filled train cars last week in Martinez.The
three train tanker cars, which did not leak their contents, derailed
near the Interstate Highway 680 overpass along Marina Vista Avenue at
6:45 a.m. on Jan. 20.The cars were part of a group
of 12 that were separated from a 20-car delivery to a company called Eco
Services on an industry line off of Union Pacific's main line, Eco
Services officials said in a report. When the cars were separated on
the tracks to be brought into the company's facility, they immediately
started rolling south down a gradient.According to
the report, three of the 12 cars eventually came off the tracks after
striking a derail device that's meant to prevent a collision about 50
feet west of the highway's overpass.The report,
which was filed Monday, was addressed to Contra Costa County's chief
environmental health and hazardous materials officer, Randy Sawyer.Sawyer said it should be seen as concerning that the account
of the incident may imply that there were cars filled with hazardous
materials that did not have a proper braking system applied.Sawyer also pointed out, as the report itself does, that the
company made no effort to contact his agency until shortly after 9:30
a.m., nearly three hours after the derailment.He
added that the company was not legally compelled to report the incident
to county hazardous materials officials, given that there was no spill."Still, we would expect that they would notify us as quickly
as they could, maybe within 15 minutes," Sawyer said.
Eco Services, a company that removes certain substances from sulfuric
acid as part of the oil refining process, was not immediately available
for comment.According to the company's report, it
alerted Union Pacific to the incident within around 15 minutes. All the
cars were put back on the tracks without further issues by 7:35 p.m.
that day.But the derailment was something that
environmental advocates, including Benicians for a Safe and Healthy
Community and the local chapter of the Sierra Club, considered a "near
miss."The activist groups saw the incident as a
reminder of the potential dangers of delivering crude oil products by
rail."Every Bay Area resident needs to contact their
local representatives and make sure they take a stand against extreme
crude by rail," Ratha Lai of the Sierra Club's San Francisco Bay Chapter
said in a statement last week.Sawyer didn't go as
far as calling it a near-miss, given the type of materials involved and
the lack of a spill, but said he is following up with other agencies to
learn more about why it occurred.The California
Public Utilities Commission is investigating the incident, commission
officials confirmed today. The agency regulates privately owned rail
transit, among other things.CPUC officials said they
are not releasing any information about the investigation at this time.Officials at Pacific Union, which is also helping to conduct an
investigation into the incident, were also unable to provide further
details.

Storage

January 15, 2016

Tampa Bay, Florida

Authorities say a worker was
killed at a Port Tampa Bay site when a giant pile of sulfur collapsed on
his front-end loader.Hillsborough County Sheriff's
Office spokesman Larry McKinnon told local media outlets that the Gulf
Coast Bulk Equipment employee was moving sulfur to a semitrailer at the
Port Redwing site Friday morning when the 30-foot pile collapsed.Hillsborough County Fire Rescue spokeswoman Nacole Revette said
the man, who wasn't immediately named, likely died from inhaling the
sulfur, but no official cause of death has been released. She said
firefighters had to work carefully to remove the body so they wouldn't
cause another collapse.Revette says rain Friday
morning kept the sulfur from forming a cloud and possibly endangering
the surrounding area.The Occupational Safety and
Health Administration will investigate.

When a 30-foot mound of sulfur fell in a yellow
avalanche and engulfed Joe Lammlein as he was working in a front-end
loader Friday, his own brother tried to dig him out.Three responding deputies and other workers also dug,
desperate to save the 45-year-old worker trapped in a sulfur pit at Port
Tampa Bay. But they couldn't help him. Lammlein died trapped inside the
buried front loader at Port Redwing off Wyandotte Road.It took about four hours for rescuers to recover his body,
according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.On Friday evening, Lamm­lein's family was in mourning. Two
brothers worked there Friday. Oldest brother George Lammlein said middle
brother Mike was working on the other side of the sulfur pile. It was
shortly after 10 a.m. The pile toppled onto the youngest brother, Joe
Lammlein, after he went to scoop up sulfur and move it into a
semitrailer truck."It could have happened to either
one of them," said George Lammlein, 54.Joe Lammlein
of Palmetto likely died from inhaling the sulfur, said Hillsborough
County Fire Rescue spokeswoman Nacole Revette. She said sulfur that is
inhaled sticks to the lungs. The investigation into the death is
ongoing; no official cause of death had been made public.

"(It was) a freak accident at work," Revette said.
"It's hard for the co-workers who have to sit there and watch
everything."Joe Lammlein was an employee with Gulf
Coast Bulk Equipment for about five years, his oldest brother said.
According to a Tampa Port Authority news release from March 2015, the
Palmetto company signed a six-year lease with the port to handle prilled
sulfur imports on a 5-acre parcel at Port Redwing.
Revette said rescuers were able to reach the driver's seat of the front
loader to confirm the driver had died. She said crews had to work
carefully to remove the front loader to prevent causing another
collapse.A representative for the company could not
be reached for comment. The Lammlein family said the company has offered
to pay for funeral costs.The Occupational Safety and
Health Administration will investigate the accident, said Tampa area
director Les Grove. Investigators will determine if the work site was at
fault in the accident, and if so it could be cited and fined, Grove
said.

George Lammlein described brother Joe as kind,
caring and a devoted worker.

"He would have done anything for anybody," he
said.

Spill
Environmental Release

January 8, 2016

NSW, Australia

The NSW Environment Protection Authority has
confirmed 6000 litres of sulphuric acid entered the stormwater system
draining into Lake Liddell following a pollution incident at Bayswater
Power Station.On Christmas Eve Fairfax
Media reported AGL Macquarie had been issued two penalty notices in
December totalling $30 thousand for breaches of the Protection of the
Environment Operations Act.AGL Macquarie Pty Limited
operates Bayswater Power Station near Muswellbrook and uses Lake Liddell
to provide cooling.The environmental watchdog said
in November the Authority was notified of a low pH reading in Tinkers
Creek by AGL Macquarie.It said further investigation
revealed a failed isolating valve caused sulphuric acid to enter two
stormwater drains, resulting in a discharge to Tinkers Creek.One of the penalty notices has been issued for failing to
maintain equipment in a proper and efficient manner.
The environmental authority imposed the second penalty notice because
AGL Macquarie had breached the pH limits prescribed by its Environment
Protection Licence, which authorises operations at the Bayswater Power
Station.It also issued official cautions to AGL
Macquarie for polluting waters and for failing to carry out licensed
activities in a competent manner.Hunter Region
Manager with the Environmental Protect Authority, Adam Gilligan, said it
reacted promptly to the pollution incident.“While
Macquarie AGL did the right thing by notifying us as soon as they
noticed the issue, pollution of waters is taken very seriously by the
EPA,” he said."[That] is why two fines and official
cautions were issued in this instance.In August, AGL
Macquarie was issued with a separate $15,000 penalty by the EPA.On that occasion, the penalty notice related to an April incident
where AGL Macquarie admitted responsibility for discharging between 50
and 100 litres of water contaminated with ammonia into Tinkers Creek.The April incident occurred during a re-certification of a bulk
ammonia tank.

Transportation - Rail
Spill

December 27, 2015

Julia Creek
North-West Queensland
Australia

The locomotive and all 26 carriages derailed at 10:20am about 20
kilometres east of the outback town. Authorities declared an
emergency under the Public Safety Preservation Act and placed a
two-kilometre exclusion zone around the crash site. They said there was
minor leakage of sulphuric acid and diesel fuel spillage at the crash
site. Aurizon said three drivers sustained minor injuries in the
accident and attended the Julia Creek hospital. "Two drivers have
been released and the third is expected to be released later today," an
Aurizon spokesperson said on Sunday. "At this early stage, the
cause of the incident is not known. Both Aurizon and Queensland Rail
will investigate the incident and determine its cause. "At this
time the focus is on recovery of the incident site." The Flinders
Highway has been closed in both directions between Julia Creek and
Richmond. Queensland Rail said it was unclear how long the train
line would remain closed. Julia Creek Hotel publican David Wyld
said the locomotive went into the bore drain after it rolled and ended
up underwater. "So that would've pulled off all the whole 26
carriages with sulphuric acid," he said. Mr Wyld said the road was
blocked by rail workers immediately after the accident. "The
police and all that couldn't get to it, blocked the whole road off
straight away," he said. "And you could smell the sulphuric acid
where they actually blocked it off." Queensland Rail works to
access site. A spokeswoman from Queensland Rail said wet weather
had flooded local roads, so they had not been able to get anyone on site
to assess the damage. "We are looking at alternate ways to get
Queensland Rail crews to site," she said. "Passenger rail services
have been cancelled. The Inlander has been cancelled today and tomorrow
from Townsville to Mount Isa. "Updates on passenger services will
be made as soon as they are available." Aurizon said interim
arrangements had been put in place to maintain site safety until the
status of the derailed wagons and any product spillage could be
confirmed.

December 29, 2015 - It was feared more than 30,000 litres (7,925
gallons) of sulphuric acid had spilled after all 26 carriages of a
freight train carrying the chemical derailed in remote northern
Australia, authorities said on Tuesday.The train, belonging to locally
listed freight firm Aurizon Ltd, was carrying about 819,000 litres
(216,360 gallons) of sulphuric acid, four times the amount first
estimated, when it derailed in Queensland state on Sunday."One of the
carriages has likely ruptured and it is possible that up to 31,500
litres of acid has leaked out," Queensland Police said in a
statement.Testing by the Department of Environment and Heritage
Protection suggested that a nearby waterway had not been adversely
affected by any leak, the statement said.Aurizon said in an email to
Reuters the cause of the incident was not yet known. Three train drivers
had received minor injuries but had been released from hospital, it
said.A derailment and chemical spill adds to pressure on the haulage
company after a downturn in coal shipping volumes forced it to issue a
profit warning last week, sending its shares sharply lower.It would also
disrupt mining companies already slashing production volumes to cope
with weak commodity prices. Miners use sulphuric acid to separate and
clean some minerals.The train was traveling from the east coast port
city of Townsville to Phosphate Hill, 1,000 km (620 miles) inland,
Aurizon said.The police statement did not give a cause for the
derailment but said the area had experienced flooding, causing a nearby
highway to be cut off.Police said they had formed a 2-km (1.2-mile)
exclusion zone around the crash site to help salvage crews gain access.

January 2, 2016 - A temporary track will be built around the
accident site after a train that was carrying more than 800,000 litres
of sulphuric acid derailed in Queensland’s northwest. A highway
near a freight train that derailed in Queensland’s northwest has
reopened almost a week after the accident, and a temporary track will be
built to bypass the site. The train was carrying more than 800,000
litres of sulphuric acid, of which about 31,500 litres spilled when all
26 of the train’s wagons overturned near Julia Creek last Sunday.
An exclusion zone around the site was reduced on Saturday afternoon,
allowing the Flinders Highway to open. “While there is no danger
for people travelling on the Flinders Highway past the derailment site,
police will enforce a reduced speed of 40km/h,” Queensland Police said
in a statement. An area of 50 metres all around the train will
remain cordoned off and aircraft are banned from flying above the site.
Specialists are continuing to monitor water quality in the area.
The Department of Environment and Heritage Protection said earlier this
week it held concerns about acidity levels in nearby Horse Creek and was
looking at ways to neutralise the acid.

January 5, 2016 -

Sulfuric acid may have leaked from a second wagon on a train that
derailed in Queensland's northwest more than a week ago. The train
was carrying more than 800,000 litres of sulfuric acid when all 26
wagons derailed near Julia Creek on December 27. It was initially
estimated that 31,500 litres had spilled from one wagon, but it has
become apparent a second wagon may also have a minor leak.
"Queensland Rail's Incident Rail Commander was yesterday (Tuesday)
advised by Incitec Pivot that one additional wagon may also have a very
minor leak, which is being treated on site," the company's chief
executive Helen Gluer said. Water testing around the crash site
came back positive for the toxic chemical at Horse Creek, a small
slow-flowing waterway, prompting authorities to neutralise the acid.
Ms Gluer said Queensland Rail had appointed a consulting company to
undertake an environmental monitoring program and to provide expert
advice about any environmental impacts. The Mount Isa line remains
closed, with the locomotive and 26 wagons on their side. Wet
conditions have hampered recovery efforts and the construction of a
temporary track around the crash site. Recovery crews are building
access roads from a nearby highway to the railway so heavy machinery can
access the site. "Construction of the deviation has unfortunately
been delayed due to wet ground conditions around the site. However, with
water beginning to clear we expect to complete the deviation late next
week," Ms Gluer said. The Inlander service has been replaced by
buses, while freight trains are only running between Mount Isa and
Phosphate Hill.

January 8, 2016 - Construction
has begun on a temporary track around the site of a derailed train in
Queensland's northwest.The train was carrying more
than 800,000 litres of sulfuric acid, of which about 31,500 litres
spilled, when all 26 of its wagons overturned near Julia Creek on
December 27, closing the Mount Isa line.The closure
has created a backlog of freight services and forced the Inlander
service to be replaced by buses.Wet conditions have
hampered the recovery but construction of the 800-metre bypass began
overnight on Thursday.Queensland Rail's Michael
Mitchell said more than 50 staff would work around the clock building
the track in a bid to re-open the line as soon as possible."Conditions permitting, we expect construction and certification
of the rail deviation to be complete middle of next week," he said.The sulfuric acid spillage has also caused environmental
headaches.Water testing around the crash site came
back positive for the toxic chemical at Horse Creek, a small
slow-flowing waterway, prompting authorities to neutralise the acid.It was initially estimated that 31,500 litres had spilled from
one wagon, but this week it became apparent that a second wagon may also
have a minor leak.Queensland Rail has appointed a
consulting company to undertake an environmental monitoring program and
to provide expert advice about any environmental impacts.

January 12, 2016 - Train services have resumed on the
Mount Isa line after a major derailment which spilt thousands of litres
of sulphuric acid in north-west Queensland. Queensland Rail crews
spent the past five days constructing an 800-metre temporary deviation
around the 26-wagon train, about 20 kilometres east of Julia Creek.
The train was carrying 819,000 litres of sulphuric acid when it derailed
on December 27. One of the carriages ruptured, spilling up to
31,500 litres of the acid, some of which made it into the waterways.
The derailment forced Queensland Rail to suspend all services between
Mount Isa to Townsville. Queensland Rail's Rebecca Masci said the
deviation was likely to be in place for a number of months. "We're
talking about 3,000 tonnes of rock or ballast on this track and a
thousand sleepers, so there's a lot of grunt work that actually went
into delivering this deviation quickly," she said. "This is a
really tricky site and we have to approach everything with the utmost
care to make sure that as we move forward we do it as quickly as
possible. "But it needs to be done safely for the people on site
as well as, most importantly, not causing any further impact to the
environment." Constructing the deviation also involved more than
2,000 tonnes of road base and 1.6 kilometres of rail line. The
first freight train travelled over the rail deviation at 6:20pm
Wednesday and the first Inlander passenger service is due tonight.
Transport Minister Stirling Hinchliffe said about 50 Queensland Rail
staff worked on the temporary track. "We know communities in the
north west rely on the Mount Isa line for passenger services and to
transport freight," Mr Hinchliffe said. "Constructing this
deviation and resuming trains as quickly and safely as possible has been
one of our highest priorities." Queensland Rail appointed Golder
Associates last week to monitor the environment around the derailment
and to ensure the deviation could be constructed safely. Work
continues to remove the derailment wreckage.

February 9, 2016 - A north-west Queensland cattle producer whose
dam was contaminated by sulphuric acid during a train derailment is
asking for ongoing water and soil testing to ensure his land is left in
a healthy state. Police estimated up to 31,500 litres of acid
spilled from a 26-carriage freight train after it came off its
tracks east of Julia Creek on December 27. A dam on Garomna
Station, owned by Nigel Simmons, was contaminated by the acid spill and
has been off limits to livestock since the incident. He expected
the acid to be neutralised by January 22, but said works to mix his dam
water with agricultural lime to bring the PH level up were taking longer
than expected. Mr Simmons said he had not asked for compensation,
but wanted the companies involved in the derailment to "fix the mess
they've made". "At the end of the day we just want a dam we can
use and country that still grows grass," he said. "And, for the
long term too, we're expecting them to maintain checks on the water
throughout the year, making sure it is still usable for cattle.
"Nothing is in writing but I've said all along that's what I want and
they've always said that's what they plan to do with the follow up.
"I guess when they're finished or close to being finished we'll get
something in writing so they will be back to maintain it."

Queensland Rail (QR) said it had made a commitment to continue
testing affected land and water on Garomna Station and other areas
around the derailment. Three companies have been involved in the
clean-up effort since December. QR owns the rail line, Aurizon
owns the locomotive, and fertiliser manufacturing company Incitec Pivot
(IPL) owns the carriages and the sulphuric acid involved in the spill.
QR corporate and customer relations manager Rebecca Masci said all three
companies were working on a remediation plan to make sure the site was
returned to its original condition.

"Queensland
Rail will absolutely be remaining on site until the whole landscape has
been brought back up to its appropriate PH levels and I know that IPL is
very much committed to the remediation of Mr Simmons' dam as well to
bring that back up to the appropriate PH level," she said. "We
will absolutely remain committed to continue to test over time, not only
Mr Simmons' dam but also the whole area out there that has been
impacted, so that it remains healthy over a period of time. "If
there was any unusual activity in terms of the PH level, that continual
testing would mean we'd be able to treat that immediately.

Ms
Masci said the acid and Aurizon locomotive were no longer at the crash
site, and the remaining train carriages should be gone within days.
She also confirmed IPL was still working to rehabilitate the dam water
at Garomna Station. "The reason that its taken longer than one
might have hoped for is because we have to be very careful about the
process of bringing the PH back up to that mid-range of around 6.5 to
8.5 which is suitable for cattle to drink from," Ms Masci said.
"They go through a process of mixing agricultural lime into a slurry,
for want of a better term, and they then inject that into the dam and
each day and they gradually bring it up to a healthier level so that,
over time, it comes back to that mid-range."

Transportation - Road

December 7, 2015

Pubnico, Nova Scotia

Canada

No other vehicles were involved in the
incident and the driver was not injured, according to the RCMP.
Emergency personnel, including hazmat teams, have been dispatched to the
scene. One crew was reported to have come from Kings County to assist in
the cleanup. Provincial RCMP spokesperson Craig Burnett said the
section of highway would be closed for several hours as the spill is
cleaned up, well into this evening. The RCMP had originally said that
the tractor trailer tipped and some barrels containing the sulphuric
acid were punctured, and tweets that were sent out by the RCMP referred
to a "crash" having occured. Later on Twitter the RCMP said an
investigation had determined that a crash did not occur, but that the
"Tractor trailer driver noticed issue with load and parked." The RCMP
later said the spill occurred from a leaking barrell that was in an
enclosed trailor. It had come loose. The truck was carrying several
barrells of sulphuric acid. There was no official media release
about the incident issued by the RCMP on Monday. The highway was
closed betweens Exits 30 near Barrington and Exit 32 near Argyle from
Monday afternoon until late Monday night. While the section of
highway was closed traffic was being rerouted to Route 3.

Transportation - Barge

November 11, 2015

India

- The railway officials would assess
the damage to the bridge after the barge was disengaged from the bridge.
Senior officials of Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), FACT
officials and officials of the company that operates the ferry service
inspected the site. The barge hit the base of a column which remained
submerged as the crew tried to maneuver under the railway bridge and got
stuck there. KOCHI: A barge ferrying sulfur to FACT rammed into a column
of Kaniampuzha railway bridge in the early hours on Saturday and got
trapped, forcing the Railway officials to impose speed restriction in
the Ernakulam-Kottayam route. In the wake of the accident, a speed
restriction of 30 km per hour on trains in the route were imposed by the
Railway officials. KOCHI: A barge ferrying sulfur to FACT rammed
into a column of Kaniampuzha railway bridge in the early hours on
Saturday and got trapped, forcing the Railway officials to impose speed
restriction in the Ernakulam-Kottayam route. Consequently, many trains
passing through this stretch got considerably delayed. The barge hit the
base of a column which remained submerged as the crew tried to maneuver
under the railway bridge and got stuck there. Efforts continued on
Saturday night to free the barge. The officials hope that the attempts
would be successful during high tide as earlier efforts to extricate the
barge using other vessels failed. In the wake of the accident, a speed
restriction of 30 km per hour on trains in the route were imposed by the
Railway officials. According to officials the trains were delayed
over 10 minutes during peak hours. Senior officials of Inland Waterways
Authority of India (IWAI), FACT officials and officials of the company
that operates the ferry service inspected the site. The railway
officials would assess the damage to the bridge after the barge was
disengaged from the bridge..

Fire

October 28, 2015

Atmore

Atmore firefighters spent more than five hours battling a
chemical fire at Sunbelt Chemicals on Saturday. AFD Chief Ronald
Peebles said the fire department arrived on scene at 8:50 a.m. and
finished up at 2:30 p.m. Peebles said the fire started when a side
grinder caused a spark to catch some sulfur dust on fire. “With
that sulfur dust, it’s funny to deal with,” Peebles said. “You can put
it out in one spot, and then it’ll pop up in another.” Peebles
said sulfur dust is fine dust that can spread easily, and when burning
produces a chemical gas that is bad for breathing. “It
sporadically can jump from place to place,” he said. The fire was
inside of an office building inside of a larger building, Peebles said.
Peebles said the fire turned into a hazmat situation pretty fast. “It
had to be treated delicately and slowly,” he said. “Then, we spent a lot
of time making sure we had everything possible out so we didn’t have a
rekindle on it. “It could’ve turned into one nasty monster,” he
said. “The guys did a heck-of-a job handling the fire.” Because
breathing became an issue, the AFD used 44 bottles of air to quench the
fire, Peebles said. “On a normal house fire, we may go through
five,” he said. Peebles said there was one person injured, adding
that he had an allergic reaction to the sulfur. “He was sent to
the hospital, and he’s going to be fine,” he said. Peebles said
the condition of the structure is alright, and the fire more or less
burned the insulation on top of the complex and messed up one of the A/C
systems. “It could’ve been an ugly situation if they couldn’t have
handled the fire the way they did,” he said.

Environmental - Release

August 15, 2015

Terre Haute, Indiana
USA

Spectators at a racetrack in Indiana were sickened by a sulfur dioxide
leak on Saturday. As many as 18 people were admitted to a local
hospital, complaining of irritable breathing and burning skin. The
small, dirt track was evacuated and the event was shut down.
Authorities say the chemical was sulfur dioxide and they blame a
neighboring facility owned by the Hydrite Chemical Company. Terre
Haute Fire Battalion Chief Joe Swan said, “We believe Hydrite’s got
everything shot down and there’s no leaks at this time.”

August 21, 2015
Company officials say there'll be some temporary production changes after a
chemical leak in Terre Haute last weekend.

Last week more than a dozen people were treated at a hospital after the
leak at Hydrite Chemical Co.Firefighters at the scene said sulfur
dioxide had leaked and winds carried fumes to nearby Hulman-Mini
Speedway, where a crowd was watching auto races. Many people were
evacuated from the area and some complained of respiratory problems
including difficulty breathing, nasal irritation, as well as nausea and
a metallic taste in their mouths.WTHI in Terre Haute reports that
Hydrite will stop production from a piece of equipment that leaked
during races.The closures will run from noon to midnight on race days.

Spill

July 24, 2015

Indian Orchard

A 500 to 1,000 gallon spill of sulfuric acid at the Masspower facility in
Indian Orchard has been cleaned up and is being monitored, according to the
state DEP and the plant's owner.On July 7, Masspower workers reported a leak
from piping connected to a sulfuric acid tank into a containment area,
according to documents filed with the DEP. Masspower estimated that 500 to
1,000 gallons escaped the tank, and hired a contractor to begin a clean-up
after reporting the incident.A spokesman for Dynegy, the Houston-based
energy company that owns the facility, said the leak was reported and
cleaned up in accordance to regulations with no exposure to the outside
environment."It was identified by a plant operator making normal rounds.
Plant personnel followed all emergency response plans already in place. Mass
DEP was notified immediately, as well as the Springfield fire department,"
spokesman David Onufer said. "You never like to see these things, but this
was handled best as it could be."The acid was contained to the facility, DEP
spokeswoman Catherine Skiba confirmed. A containment room and an attached
wastewater tank were contaminated have been cleaned up. The company reported
no injuries to workers in a report to the DEP."They did conduct the cleanup
and they are conducting environmental monitoring to protect the safety of
personnel," Skiba said.The cause of the leak was an elbow pipe connected to
the bottom of the tank, which has been replaced, Onufer said.The Masspower
facility, near the banks of the Chicopee River on Worcester street, is a 264
megawatt electric plant fueled by natural gas and has operated since 1993,
according to regulatory filings with the DEP.

Spill

July 20, 2015

Ector County

Ector County officials are working to clean up a sulfuric acid spill from
Sunday afternoon.The spill occurred around 3:30 p.m. Sunday at 220 S.
Proctor Ave. Officials with the Ector County Attorney’s Office said the
spill occurred when the acid was being transferred from a train to storage
tanks at a local business.A hose used to transfer the acid reportedly
ruptured causing the spill, officials said.County Attorney Dusty Gallivan
said that right now they are waiting for a team from Houston to arrive and
assist in the clean up.The spill was contained Sunday night, and officials
are estimating a cleanup time of two to three days.

Transportation - Rail
Spill

July 17, 2015

Namibia

It never rains but pours for the national railway carrier of Namibia,
TransNamib as earlier this week Train 2703 with two Class 34 locomotives
carrying a load of 20 sulphuric acid tankers set for Rio Tinto's Rössing
Uranium mine derailed at point 176 en-route from Walvis Bay to Arandis.

According to TransNamib's executive spokesperson, Struggle Ihuhua no
injuries were recorded but as a result of the incident, normal passenger and
freight rail traffic from Walvis Bay to both Windhoek and the north will be
affected and further information as per development on the scene will become
available later."Emergency response and accident investigation teams are on
the scene to assess the cause of the accident, to assess the losses suffered
and to speedily restore operations to normal," he added.Meanwhile, Rössing
Uranium mine spokesperson Botha Ellis in a statement said the incident was
managed promptly according to set emergency procedures and practices by all
relevant parties.

"Our team of experts was also on the scene to give support and assistance,
ensuring that all was done in a safe manner. We are told that the rail will
be repaired this week," he added.The Rössing Uranium mine, about five months
ago experienced a snag after incurring damage from fire on its Final Product
Recovery (FPR) plant.On this week's accident, Botha said, "the current
incident does not impact our production as we have adequate amounts of
sulphuric acid stored on site to continue with normal operations. Sulphuric
acid is used in Rössing's extraction process to produce uranium
oxide."Rössing's Uranium is made up of the following shareholders. The
British-Australian mining conglomerate, Rio Tinto Group holds a 69%, the
Iranian government 15% while the Namibian government holds 3%.

July 24, 2015

The derailment of two TransNamib
locomotives and a tanker carrying about 25 000 litres of sulphuric acid
behind the dunes near Walvis Bay last week was caused by the presence of
“sand on the tracks due to the strong east wind”.

This was the explanation given in a response from
the parastatal to The Namibian. The derailment also resulted in a
limited spill of the acid used in the leeching of uranium ore. The
train was pulling 20 tankers carrying about 460 000 litres of sulphuric acid
to Rio Tinto's Rössing Uranium mine near Arandis. “This was an unfortunate
incident which we had no control of. However, the spill was minor and was
handled in accordance with the regulations by Rössing Uranium's hazard
team,” read the response from TransNamib's senior spokesman Struggle Ihuhua.
Fortunately no one was injured in the accident, although unverifiable damage
to infrastructure included “cosmetic to serious damage” to the two
locomotives and to about 300 metres of track. “Our business has been
affected. We lost three nights of transporting, because no trains moved out
of Walvis Bay and all our customers were affected,” he concluded. The
port of Walvis Bay is a logistics hub through which most of the bulk imports
and exports pass. Inquiries to Rössing Uranium were redirected to
TransNamib. In December 2012 two locomotives and 17 wagons carrying
manganese derailed on the line near the site of the latest derailment. That
accident cost TransNamib over N$65 million. The accident was said to have
been caused by a section of track that was damaged by a truck that got stuck
while crossing the railway line. Little or no strong easterly winds
were recorded during the time of the accident although strong south westerly
winds, which could have carried dune sand over the tracks prevailed.

July 29, 2015
The Minister of Environment and Tourism (MET), Pohamba Shifeta, has not
ruled out the possibility of laying criminal charges against TransNamib
management, for allegedly failing to comply with the Environmental
Management Act of 2007.This follows the recent derailment of a goods train
in the Dorob National Park, transporting toxic acid from Walvis Bay to
Rössing mine.Cargo wagons overturned due to sand on the railway tracks,
causing sulphuric acid to spill in the park. The incident raised the hackles
of the MET as the custodian of Namibia’s natural environment. Sulphuric acid
is a very corrosive and poisonous chemical.Shifeta said although TransNamib
was issued with an Environmental Clearance Certificate (ECC) in 2014, which
is valid for three years, they failed to inspect the railway to ensure the
passage of the dangerous substance would be safe, which is required in terms
of the law.“I was informed that TransNamib management apparently does not do
inspections,” he stated.“The area is sensitive because of sand dunes. The
rail should be inspected to ensure it’s clean before transporting any
chemical,” he added.He said it’s high time Namibians take the Environmental
Management Act seriously, adding that culprits breaking the law would be
dealt with and have to “face the music”.“We will not leave any stone
unturned. Anyone or any company found wanting will be taken to task. I want
to warn the board of directors that they have a duty to take care of the
environment and not endanger the lives of Namibians,” he said.He would
however not say whether a criminal case would be opened against
TransNamib.“The possibility of criminal charges against the company is
there. People who are responsible will be fined depending on the extent of
damage to the environment.If gross negligence is found against individuals,
it can be transformed into criminal charges after investigations are
done.They can be taken to task depending on whoever was responsible,”
Shifeta said.Rail inspection is one of the conditions stipulated in the
Environmental Plan.When environmental officers arrived at the scene of the
derailment, TransNamib was already busy rehabilitating the area, he said.

Transportation - Rail
Spill

July 11, 2015

Ebenezer, Saskatchewan

Twelve homes were evacuated Friday after a CN train derailed just north of
Yorkton.A dozen rail cars jumped the tracks near Ebenezer, Sask. around 1:50
p.m. Four of the cars were carrying liquid sulfur; seven were carrying
cement, and one was empty.A CN Rail spokesperson told CTV News that some
liquid sulfur leaked.No one was injured, according to RCMP, but a dozen
homes were evacuated as a precautionary measure.Residents were allowed back
in their homes late Friday evening.Some roads were blocked in the area as CN
police investigated.Crews were still cleaning the spill and repairing the
track on Saturday. A CN spokesperson expected the track to re-open later in
the day.

July 15, 2015
The cleanup of a train wreck that occurred in the tiny village of Ebenezer
July 10 will take another two to three weeks to complete. Ray Miller,
Ebenezer fire chief and council member, explained that tanker cars
containing molten sulphur had to be left at the scene so the contents can
cool and solidify before CN can cut the tanks open and remove the product.
He likened the tankers to large thermoses; the sulphur is transported in a
liquid form at approximately 290 degrees Fahrenheit for ease of transfer.
The company has security guards manning the site 24 hours a day. When
the train derailed at approximately 1:50 p.m. Friday, some of the molten
sulphur leaked into the ditch beside the tracks and into a nearby slough.
Yorkton fire chief Trevor Morrisey confirmed that three cars containing
sulphur were punctured and leaked. The RCMP evacuated a dozen nearby
homes while firefighters from Ebenezer, Rhein and Yorkton contained the
spill by building up a berm around the area. The villagers were
allowed back into their homes later Friday evening. CN is reporting
minimal environmental impact, but village officials are expecting to have a
meeting with the province’s Water Security Agency this week to further
assess the situation. According to an eyewitness, there was a grinding
sound just before one of the cars jumped the track causing 11 more to pile
up behind it. Seven of the 12 derailed cars contained cement, four were
carrying liquid sulphur and one was empty. CN crews worked through the
night and Saturday to replace the section of track that was damaged in the
wreck. Miller said the company has been very good about keeping the
village informed about what is going on, but the accident has opened his
eyes to the potential hazards that are passing through the town every day.
“It could have been a lot worse,” he said. Aside from the ongoing
cleanup, Miller said things are back to normal. “Everybody is cool,
nobody’s upset,” he said. “I think people were quite pleased with the way we
handled it.” He added that the Rhein and Yorkton fire departments
provided “fantastic support.”

Transportation - Road
Spill

July 10, 2015

Beulah, North Dakota

North Dakota Transportation Department officials have closed state Highway
49 near Beulah due to the crash of a semitrailer hauling sulfuric acid.
Highway Patrol Lt. Tom Iverson says acid spilled in the ditch about 4 miles
south of Beulah. He says it's unknown how much spilled and if there's any
environmental damage. The unidentified driver was taken to a Hazen
hospital with unknown injuries. No other vehicles were involved, and it's
unclear what led to the crash. Iverson says the highway likely will be
closed for some time as hazardous material crews clean up the spill.

Fire

June 30, 2015

Dartmouth, Nova Scotia

A Halifax fire division commander says the public was not in danger when a
fire broke out at the former Imperial Oil refinery in Dartmouth
Tuesday night.Chuck Bezanson says crews were called around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday
to deal with an "elemental sulphur pile" that was burning on the grounds. An
elemental sulphur pile is produced as a byproduct of refining oil and
natural gas.Bezanson says the sun dried out the pile and it ignited.He says
there was no danger to the surrounding neighbourhood.Four fire crews
responded to the call and by 9:45 p.m. The fire was extinguished more than
an hour later. Imperial Oil closed the Pleasant Street refinery and
converted it into a marine terminal in 2013.

Exposure

June 20, 2015

Kuala Lumpur

A Chinese national suffered severe burns all over his body after he was
splashed with sulfuric acid, following a tank explosion at a fertiliser
factory in Port Klang. Selangor Fire and Rescue Department operations
director Mohd Sani Harul said the 40-year-old man was working near the tank
which was in operation at the time, at about 4pm Saturday, when it suddenly
exploded and spewed acid all over. The man was covered in the
corrosive acid from the neck down and suffered severe burns. “Our
officers rushed there to clean the acid off him with a water hose. He was
half conscious at the time and is in very critical condition,” Mohd Sani
said. The man was rushed to the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital. The
Fire Department is trying to contact the factory supervisor to ascertain
what could have caused the explosion.

Exposure

June 15, 2015

North Lincolnshire

AN incident at an oil refinery "could have been avoided" had hazards been
identified which led to a worker needing skin grafts. The firm in
question, Total Lindsey Oil refinery in North Lincolnshire, was fined for
the incident involving molten sulphur. Tanker driver Jack Vickers was
loading the dangerous substance from his vehicle and was detaching the lance
from a loading arm when he slipped. After pulling his leg out of the
140 degree molten sulphur, Mr Vickers needed extensive skin grafts.
The Health and Safety Executive told the court that there were no safety
practices in place concerning the manway, and potential hazards had not been
identified and dealt with. Total Lindsey Oil Refinery, was fined
£20,000 and ordered to pay £2,641 in costs with a victim surcharge of £120.
HSE inspector Jayne Towey said: "Mr Vickers sustained extremely painful
injuries, which still affect him now. Yet this incident could have been
avoided if Total had identified the dangers associated with attaching and
detaching the loading lance and then taken action to reduce those risks.
"Loading molten sulphur is a common task within the refining industry. Total
had two other loading units on site with a different system whereby a
loading lance does not have to be attached to the loading arm."

Spill

May 30, 2015

Maryland City, Maryland

Hundreds are briefly told to stay indoors after a
sulfuric acid leak in Anne Arundel County. It happened around 9 a.m.
Saturday in the 3500 block of Whiskey Bottom Road in Maryland City.
Police say a hazmat team was called after a 45-foot trailer delivering totes
of sulfuric acid leaked.

The leak was contained to the property,
authorities said. More than 500 residents were briefly told to
shelter-in-place as a precaution. The order was lifted around 10:30
a.m

Transportation
Ocean

May 29, 2015

Port Arthur, Texas

A bulk carrier loaded with a cargo of sulfur ran aground offshore Port
Arthur, Texas, on Wednesday. Jian Qiang (46,807 dwt, built 1996),
owned by China’s Cosco, was outward bound from Neches Industrial park in
Beaumont, Texas, when it ran hard aground. US Coast Guard (USCG)
responded to a call at approximately 1.30pm and were quickly on the scene.
They were co-ordinating with the ship’s owners, the Texas General Land
Office and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to find a way to
release the vessel. The 615-foot ship was still stuck as of late
Wednesday night but there were no significant reports of damage, injury or
pollution. USCG are investigating the cause of the accident.

Transportation
Road
Spill

May 21, 2015

Modimolle, South Africa

Police are investigating a case against officials who responded to the
accident scene where a truck carrying sulphuric acid overturned on Saturday,
May 16. The truck carrying 28,000 litres of sulphuric acid was on its
way to Zimbabwe. DA leader for Limpopo, Jacques Smalle claims that the
disaster management units arrived at the scene four hours after the toxic
spill. CCTV footage in the video above shows how disaster management
officials then proceeded to clean up the spill by using water from a fire
department truck to spray the acid into the Nyl River. The DA has laid
criminal charges against the heads of disaster management of the Modimolle
and Waterberg municipalities, and the Waterberg fire chief for not complying
with regulations in section 28 of the National Environment Act of 1998.
The environmental damage to the river has been extensive as locals have been
warned not to drink the water or use it for farming. Fish in the river
have died and the national Department of Water Affairs and Sanitation has
described the pollution as "very serious". The pollution has been
neutralised with a treatment of lime, to reduce the level of acidity, but
further treatment is still needed. Warrant officer James Findlay,
spokesperson for the Modimolle police, said the charges laid are
specifically “failure to comply with directive to cease activity and to
rehabilitate the environment /contravene and fail to comply with conditions
of the authorisation”. Affidavits have not yet been obtained, said
Findlay. “The investigating officer will obtain statements from the
three involved early next week.” Findlay says this is an unusual case
for Modimolle police. “I’ve been here over 20 years and if I’m not
mistaken most of our big truck accidents, like with petrol trucks, happen on
the highway and don’t go into the water,” he said. Smalle told
eNCA.com that they are relieved that the national water affairs department
is dealing with the issue. However, the DA plans to watch the clean-up
process closely. “We will compile a comprehensive analysis report and
present it at the Limpopo legislature so we can monitor ongoing process,”
said Smalle.

Modimolle farmers in Limpopo have suspended farming activities after a
sulphuric acid spill contaminated the Nyl River last weekend.A truck
carrying sulphuric acid overturned in the town and acid spilled into the
river. Water Affairs officials are busy with clean-up operations.

The Nyl River is the source of water for farmers in the Modimolle area.
Water Affairs officials were busy working where the truck overturned at
corner Thabo Mbeki and Nelson Mandela Streets last weekend. They
were using wheelbarrows to carry lime to the river to neutralise the
acid. The scene was cordoned off. Officials refused to talk about the
clean-up operations and referred all enquiries to their National Office.
Modimolle farmers are blaming the Waterberg District Municipality for
the incident. Local farmer Johan Abrie says they have suspended all
ploughing activities. Fish and other water species have died.
Abrie alleges that the municipality did not prevent the acid from
spilling into the river. "Sulphuric acid spilled onto a tar road, what
happened is instead of covering it and building a buffer zone so it
cannot enter the river, the municipality, against every law in the book,
took hoses to wash down into the Nyl River. That is the most
inhumanly possible thing they could have done. So instead of following
international regulations and protocol how to treat this thing, the
municipality decided to wash it into the river." Waterberg
District Municipal Manager, Sam Mabotja says the spill is a Water
Affairs matter. The Water Affairs Department could not be reached for
comment. Meanwhile, retired Zoologist, Professor Koos Prinsloo,
says the sulphuric acid that polluted the Nyl River is a danger to
environment and its natural species. He says delays in treating
the polluted water will have negative effects on the ecological system.
"Sulphuric acid is difficult chemical it comes in contact with water
certain reaction start take place. Some
very serious toxic substances are formed. It is definitely affecting the
plants, it is going to affect millions of macrobiotic in the
water that play a very important role in keeping ecological balance."

Spill

May 20, 2015

Dickerson
Montgomery County

More than 300 gallons of sulphuric acid were spilled in an accident at a
power plant in Montgomery County on Wednesday, injuring one worker.
County fire and rescue service spokesman Pete Piringer said that the worker
was not seriously injured and had been decontaminated after the acid
splashed onto him. Piringer said that workers were moving a container
of the acid at a loading dock at an energy substation on Martinsburg Road in
Dickerson. They accidentally spilled the caustic substance, he said.

Transportation
Rail

May 11, 2015

Bijoux Falls Provincial Park
BC

Eight train cars carrying sulphur derailed near Mackenzie on a railway
crossing Highway 97 South at about 8:30 p.m. Sunday night, a Canadian
National Rail Co. spokesperson has confirmed.Drive BC has indicated that
Highway 97 will be blocked in both directions until further notice near
Bijoux Falls Provincial Park.There were no injuries reported and the cause
of the derailment is under investigation, CN said.Pierre Boivin, senior
manager of stakeholder relations with CN Rail, told the Alaska Highway News
Sunday night that the eight cars involved in the derailment were all
carrying sulphur."The cars are upright and there are no indications that
there is any spill or any environmental impacts," Boivin said.CN crews will
work through the night to clear the crossing "as soon as possible," Boivin
added, but he did not know how long it would take. "At this point all we
know is that Highway 97 is blocked," Boivin explained. "Our crews are en
route. As soon as they arrive they are going to work to clear the
crossing."It's unclear at this time where the train originated from, or
where it was headed.

Transportation
Road
Spill

April20, 2015

Birmingham, Alabama

About 22 homes were evacuated from a north Birmingham neighborhood while
crews moved a semi-truck carrying hazardous material that got stuck around
midnight. The semi-truck, which was carrying 3,000 gallons of sulfuric
acie, was trying to navigate through a neighborhood when it hit a curve and
jackknifed on a narrow street around midnight, according to EMA officials.
Police blocked off the area and evacuated people in the Fairmont community
on 40th Avenue North near Lewisburg Road, off of Daniel Payne Drive and near
Carver High School. Birmingham police told residents that if the
sulfuric acid mixed with water, it could possibly blow up. A hazmat
crew with Birmingham Fire Department responded to the scene as a precaution.
None of the sulfuric acid has spilled from the truck, according to Jody
Hodge with the Jefferson County EMA. He says the truck driver is also OK and
no one was injured. The truck was turned upright and moved from the
area where it got stuck by 8 a.m. Residents who were evacuated say
this isn't the first time a semi-truck has been stuck in their neighborhood.
“No it's not, it's happened before, we didn't have to be evacuated, they
were able to get the truck up, but semis come through here all the time and
turn over,” Sophia Holloway said. “We've gone to talk to different
people about getting some assistance with stopping these trucks from coming
through here. We don't want this to happen. We don't want this neighborhood
to blow up because of this type situation,” Holloway added. Holloway
explained that the semi-trucks often miss their exit off 41st Avenue and go
to Fultondale to turn around, and the GPS routes the trucks through her
neighborhood. “Once they turn around, they come through the
neighborhoods and there's really no room for them to maneuver in there,” she
said. Hodge said he believed the truck driver was trying to get to a
truck stop in the area and the GPS took him a roundabout way. He said the
driver turned on a narrow street and jackknifed. “Some of these
streets are very narrow, have sharp curves, and you know, with an
18-wheeler, it just happened," Hodge said. He said about 10 families
chose to not evacuate and shelter in place.

The Red Cross had a shelter on standby, but it was never opened.
Police will determine when residents are allowed to return to their homes.

Spill

March 8, 2015

Krasnodar Territory

At the Tihoretsk station of the
North Caucasus Railway in Krasnodar Territory, sulfuric acid has leaked from
a holding tank, the press service of the Ministry of Emergency Measures of
the Russian Federation in the region reported.The leak
occurred last night about 21:20 Moscow time in the park "B" of Tikhoretsk
station, Interfax cites the report.

Transportation
Road
Exposure

March 8, 2015

Salt Lake City, Utah

Sue Turley and Raquel Sever
received a phone call Tuesday they never expected. They learned their
sister's husband, Joshua Schade, had been in a terrible accident on the
job."We really don't know exactly what happened at
this point," Sever said.Although the investigation
is ongoing, they do know some of the details. Their brother-in-law was
transporting sulfuric acid for Basin Western Trucking Company to Delta
on Tuesday. When he went to unload it, something went horribly wrong."It poured all the way down his body, from his head all the way
down," Turley said.They said first responders took
him to a hospital for decontamination, then he was flown to University
Hospital's burn center.Schade has already undergone
one skin graft surgery with more planned."They keep
reminding (my sister) he's in very critical condition and they don't
want to give her the impression that he's definitely going to make it
home," Turley said.Turley said Schade began the job
only a few weeks ago and was excited because the schedule allowed him to
spend more time with his family. Now they're hoping the 29-year-old
father will get that time."We're just trying to be
hopeful and have faith that he'll make it," Sever said."My sister has said so many times she doesn't care what he looks
like," added Turley. "She doesn't want him in pain, and she just wants
to have her husband.""Everyone is hoping and praying
for Josh and his family at this time," said Lloyd Dean, a spokesman for
Western Basin Trucking Company.Dean said the company
is conducting its own investigation to determine what happened.

Environmental -
Release

February 18, 2015

India

Days after leakage of sulphur
dioxide caused suffocation to workers and people residing in the area,Tamil
NaduChemical
Products Ltd, a factory manufacturing dyeing substance, in Kovilur was today
ordered to be closed down by the state pollution control board.Three school children had fainted upon inhaling sulphur dioxide from
the factory on February 12. The leak also caused suffocation to factory
workers and people living around.On inspection of the 35-year-old factory, officials of the Tamil Nadu
Pollution Control Board found that main units had not been maintained
properly leading to the gas leakage.The chairman of the board ordered closure of the factory, the
officials said.

Transportation
Road
Spill

February 10, 2015

Corpus Christi

Crews were busy cleaning up a sulfur
pellet spill Tuesday morning.It happened in the area of
Suntide and Up River Road.A private contractor was
taking prilled sulfur from the Flint Hills West Plant to the bulk terminal,
when a portion of the load spilled from the truck onto the roadway.According to a spokeswoman from Flint Hills, clean-up crews were
called in to sweep up the material.Because the sulphur
was in pellet form, it was not hazardous and no streets had to be closed.The chemical is commonly stored outdoors and is used in fertilizer.

Transportation
Road
Spill

February 8, 2015

Ndola

, Zambia

PEOPLE who depend on Chililabombwe’s
Lubengele stream for water have been left stranded after a tanker delivering
sulphuric acid to KCM overturned on Friday, spilling its contents into the
stream. Chililabombwe Municipal Council health inspectors confirmed the
development. “Lubengele Stream is important because many families get their
water from there. This is a serious threat and something must be done before
the whole stream is contaminated,” the officers warned. The inspectors said
Mulonga Water and Sewerage Company obtained water samples to determine the
amount of acid in the stream. They said immediate measures had been put in
place to stop the spillage but that the council and Mulonga Water would
carry out further investigations. And Abrahman Yessus, the owner of the
tanker, explained that the driver failed to control the vehicle which fell
on the road, causing the spillage. “Around 06:00 hours, I received a call
that my tanker carrying sulphuric acid for delivery at KCM had an accident.
What happened was that the driver lost control because he was going uphill
and the tanker fell on the road. There are no injuries and with the help of
KCM, we have managed to control the sulphuric acid by putting lime,” said
Yessus.

Transportation

January 31, 2015

Richmond Hill, OntarioCanada

A train derailment in Richmond Hill has closed Elgin Mills East Road
between Yonge Street and Newkirk Road. Two cars on a southbound CN Rail
train partially derailed at around noon on Saturday according to CN and York
Regional Police. One was carrying steel, the other was carrying sulphuric
acid. No one was injured and no material leaked, officials said. The cause
is under investigation.

Transportation
Road
Spill

January 24, 2015

New Zealand

A truck has spilled 500 litres of
toxic acid near Feilding today.The truck lost its load
of sulfuric acid on Awahuri-Feilding road about 12.15pm, and roadblocks were
put up while the chemical was cleared.Greg
Bevin, Horizons team leader consent monitoring, said the acid was at 70 per
cent concentration.It was contained in a dry roadside
drain and there was no threat to waterways or public safety, he said.A Horizon's environmental protection officer was assisting the Fire
Service.

Transportation
Road
Spill

January 21, 2015

Tennessee, USA

A tanker carrying 48,000 gallons of
sulfuric acid overturned on Interstate 24 near mile marker 23 on the
eastbound side, according to the Tennessee Highway Patrol. The accident
happened at about 11 a.m. on Wednesday.One eastbound
lane has been reopened, according to dispatch. Westbound traffic remains
unaffected. The Tennessee Department of Transportation doesn't expect the
wreck to be cleared until 5 p.m.The driver has been
identified as Calvin L. Morgan, 67, of Turtletown. He was injured in the
wreck, but was not taken to the hospital, according to the preliminary THP
report.Morgan was driving eastbound on I-24 when his
truck's left front tire exited the roadway into the median. He overcorrected
and lost control of the vehicle. The trailer disconnected from the truck and
came to rest in the median. The truck crossed both lanes of eastbound
traffic and crashed into several trees along the right shoulder, according
to the report.Hazmat crews were dispatched to the scene
when the call came in, dispatch confirmed.None of the
acid was spilled in the accident, according to THP.
Morgan was charged with having an expired medical card and other charges are
pending, authorities say.